CSCC Chargers Open 2011 Strong, Delgado Hurles No-Hitter!

February 14, 2011

TennesseeSportsNet



The Columbia State Charger baseball team traveled to Decatur, Alabama Sunday for the 2011 season opener against Calhoun Community College. The Warhawks entered the game with a 1-3 record as they lost three games to three powerful Florida teams in a tournament held in Clearwater the week of  January 28th. The one win over Chipola, Florida.

CSCC skipper Mike Corn, in his second year, had high hopes for his talented pitching staff and second year starter Casey Delgado who took the mound in game one. What would follow would be a gem of a pitching performance by the sophomore.

Delgado went the distance retiring 18 Warhawk batters in a row.  As the final seventh inning frame approached the CSCC hurler was three outs away from a perfect game to open the season. In six innings he had set down the side 1-2-3, striking out four. The first batter Delgado faced in the seventh worked the count to 3 & 2. His payoff pitch just missed the corner and Calhoun's third baseman Wes Hughes was the only batter to reach base drawing the walk, breaking up the perfect outing.  Delgado did finished the inning and took the win with CSCC's second no-hitter in as many years. Columbia State's other starter Sunday, Jason Overton from Boliver accomplished the feat during the TCCAA Tounrment last season.

In Sunday's opening game sophomore Ethan Williams opened the game with a solo homer to left-center giving CSCC a 1-0 lead in the first inning.  The Chargers got on the board again in the third. With one out Justin Pearson reached on a bunt-single and is driven in two batters later by Williams on a sac-fly to center, CSCC led 2-0.

Columbia State added three more in the fifth...Pearson (3-4) doubles to left, Blake Rogers walks. Williams (2-3,BB,HR,3RBI's) then makes his presence felt once again with a RBI single to the gap in right scoring Pearson.  The inning is capped off by a Mark Rayburn (2-4) 2RBI single to deep center plating two and Columbia State (1-0) went on to win 5-0 over Calhoun (1-4).

In game two CSCC trailed 1-0 until the second inning as the Chargers struck for four-runs. Leadoff batter Mark Rayburn draws a walk. Freshman Nick Howell reaches first on a bunt back to the mound. With one out another first-year player Donald Nolan works a walk to load the bases. Freshman Jordan Parris then walks to force in a run (Rayburn) tying the game 1-1. Eric Lindsey plates Howell on a sac-fly and Pearson and Kyle Brochu each single driving in Nolan & Parris. At that point CSCC lead 4-1. Columbia State picked up two more runs in the third. Howell came home on an error (5-1), Parris (2-3,BB,2RBI's) connects on a base hit scoring Nolan.

The Warhawks answered in the third & fourth.In the third frame Calhoun's Matthew Tittle homers cutting the CSCC lead to 6-2. In their part of the fourth Evan Hester doubles and scores on a wild pitch. TJ Eifert also reached home on an errant throw and the score was 6-4 CSCC.

Columbia State added runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Calhoun tallied one in the sixth and CSCC led 10-5 going into the seventh, but the fireworks from Ethan Williams wasn't over. The sophomore second baseman blasted a towering three-runs shot to right, his second of the day, giving Columbia State a commending lead 13-5. The Warhawks added two in the seventh, but it was not enough as the Chargers (2-0) sweep host Calhoun (1-5) 13-7.

Columbia used seven pitchers in the game. Starter Jason Overton, Kaleb Pitts entered in the fourth followed by Clint Wright and Josh Parker in the fifth. Logan Gray & Josh Brown also saw action in the fifth. DW Whitson finished the game. Overton picked up the win.

The next game for CSCC will be February 18 & 19 in Barnesville, GA against Gordon College. Friday action begins at 4pm, the Saturday doubleheader starts at noon.