The North Delta Blue Jays survived a busy start to their season, winning three of five games played over a four-day span.
The B.C. Premier League team won three of four games in Kelowna against the Okanagan Athletics last weekend, then fell 8-5 to the Abbotsford Cardinals in their home opener Tuesday night.
North Delta blew a four-run lead in their loss against the Cardinals. They took a 5-1 lead into the fifth inning, but Abbotsford scored seven runs on four hits and a pair of errors by the Blue Jays.
Noah Or with a two-run single and Marc Ashford with a two-for-four game at the plate led the North Delta offense.
In Kelowna, the Blue Jays started their season Saturday with 7-5 and 9-2 victories over the Athletics. Or was six-for-seven over the two games, with Mackenzie Marquis and William Quito each going three-for-six. Tyler Hoefer collected five RBIs in the two victories.
The Athletics managed to shut down the Blue Jays offense in the first game Sunday morning, limiting North Delta batters to just one hit – a single by shortstop Cole Evans – in a 9-0 win.
The Blue Jays recovered in the afternoon, coming from behind for a 4-3 victory in the second game.
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, North Delta tied the game on a double from Hoefer which scored Evans from third base. Logan Newman replaced Hoefer on the base path, and scored the winning run on a fielding error by the Okanagan shortstop.
Hoefer was the leading batter for the Blue Jays, going two-for-three with an RBI. The Sands Secondary student is now tied for the league-lead with six RBIs in five games played.
The Blue Jays will host the 4-3 (win-loss) Coquitlam Reds in a double header Sunday at Mackie Park. The first game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. start.
