The North Delta Blue Jays are still in playoff contention in the B.C. Premier Baseball League, remaining in the middle of a five-team race for two postseason berths after three wins in five-game stretch.
North Delta sits at 17-27 (won-lost) with four games remaining on their schedule. Trailing the 15-21 North Shore Twins and the 19-25 Victoria Eagles by two games, the Blue Jays are also just one-half game up on the Whalley Chiefs and two ahead of the Vancouver Cannons.
North Delta split two games with the fourth-place Victoria Mariners Saturday at Mackie Park.
The Mariners humbled North Delta 12-0 in game one, scoring seven times in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to bring the game to an early end.
The Jays managed just two hits, a double from Luke Manuel and a triple from Bryan O’Hara.
North Delta won a wild, 14-inning second game by a 7-6 score. They carried a 4-2 lead into the final inning, only to allow two runs without giving up a hit to send the game into extra innings.
Victoria was on the verge of a win after batting in the 13th inning, scoring two runs on a pair of singles and a double.
But North Delta responded, scoring on a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk. They then won the game an inning later, when Steven Van Vooght hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, scoring Brad Antchak.
The Jays also won one of two games Sunday night at the South Surrey Athletic Park against the White Rock Tritons. North Delta outhit the Tritons 6-5 in the first game, only to lose 4-2.
Trent Fletcher and Manuel drove in the Blue Jays runs. Van Vooght threw six innings, striking out eight Tritons batters, but took the loss after White Rock scored four runs on five hits and a pair of walks.
North Delta rebounded for a 9-5 win in game two, with Brett Sakaki collecting five RBIs with a fourth-inning double and a grand slam an inning later. Manuel also had two hits, driving in one run and scoring two.
The Blue Jays won a huge game at Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminster Tuesday, hammering the Cannons 9-1. Manuel had three of the eight North Delta hits, driving in one run and scoring three.
Clint Taylor was the winning pitcher, collecting three strikeouts over six innings. The Cannons scored their lone run on three hits and a walk.
The Blue Jays conclude their regular season next weekend with a pair of double headers on Vancouver Island. They are in Parksville to play the 10-30 Royals Saturday, then visit the 31-11 Nanaimo Pirates for two games Sunday.
