Cougars sweep Delta in HHC opener

A lightning show passed during the first inning of Greenfield-Central's Friday night doubleheader with Delta.

From there, the Cougar bats supplied the thunder.

Three homers -- including two three-run shots by Clark Pence -- led G-C to a 7-3 victory in Game 1. In the nightcap, which began well after 9 p.m. and finished after midnight -- the Cougars jumped out to a five-run lead in the top of the first and kept pulling away to a 14-7 victory.

G-C is now 3-0 on the season and 2-0 in HHC play.

In the first game, Pence hit a three-run homer in the first moments before a long delay due to a passing thunderstorm. Play resumed after a break of more than an hour. G-C threatened, but left the bases loaded in the first and led 3-0. Delta rallied to tie the game in the fifth, but Brendon Neal's homer in the bottom of the inning gave the Cougars the lead for good. Pence added his second three-run shot in the sixth.

Neal came on in the fifth, got out of a jam to preserve the tie and got the win in relief of starter Curtiss Irving.

G-C won the first game with just four hits -- three were homeruns. Delta also committed three errors.

In the nightcap, the Cougars remained opportunistic in taking advantage of walks and errors to score runs. G-C's lone hit in the first inning was a double by Cam Gruell, but four Delta errors helped lead to a five-run frame to start the game. G-C's defense then shone, throwing two Eagles out at the plate in the bottom of the inning.

Hayden Kissee hit a three-run homer in the second, and Neal added his second homer of the night in the third to put G-C up 10-2. While Delta continued to rally, the Cougars kept a comfortable lead, pushing it to 12-5 and 13-6 before the final margin.

(many thanks to G-C public address announcer Brent Lawson, whose updates via Twitter provided our info).