Guilford eliminates Deep River in opening round of tourney

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RAMSEUR — Tyler Dellerman’s two-out, two-run double in the top of the fifth snapped a 2-2 standoff and propelled the Guilford Blueticks past Deep River 4-2 in Thursday’s quarterfinal nightcap of the Old North State League post-season tournament at I. Fletcher Craven Stadium.

Fifth-seed Guilford improved to 12-14 for the year and will next face the Randolph Lumberkings, regular-season champions who drew a first-round bye, in semifinal action Friday night.

Meanwhile, the fourth-seed Muddogs saw their season come to an end as they concluded 14-13-1.

Blueticks’ starter Logan Fisher went four innings on the hill and received credit for the win, giving up four hits and a pair of earned runs while issuing one base on balls and striking out three.

Guilford reliever Nick Berhalter threw one-third of an inning, yielding one hit with one walk, before Ian Asken came on to toss the final two and two-third innings to pick up a save while allowing one hit besides walking one and whiffing three.

Dellerman and Jose Vargas recorded two hits each for the Blueticks, as did Jordan Cassell and Easton Jones for Deep River.

“We came out with a lot of energy and competed early, then found the barrel again late in the game,” remarked Guilford coach Sean Stevens.

“I thought Fisher executed well on the mound, keeping his pitches in the zone, but after Berhalter struggled a bit we brought in Asken to bail us out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth before he went on to preserve the victory.”

Nathan Cockman opened on the mound for the Muddogs and absorbed the loss after surrendering six hits and four runs (two earned) in addition to issuing three free passes and fanning four over six innings.

Reliever Mike Williams then pitched a hitless seventh, striking out one.

“We had our chances to score more runs this evening but credit their pitchers for doing a great job when they needed outs,” said Deep River coach Michael Milian.

“Cockman threw well tonight and deserved a better fate. He really improved his velocity as the season went on while his curve ball got a lot better.”

“But in the game of baseball everything can change on one pitch, like Guilford’s big double in the fifth on a 2-0 count that proved to be the difference.”

The Muddogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Parker Clayton led off with a four-pitch walk and moved to third when Jones doubled up the alley in left-center before both runners came home on Cassell’s two-out single up the middle.

But the Blueticks answered right back, pulling even in the top of the second as Dellerman notched a leadoff base hit to center and advanced to third when Davis Downey reached on a throwing error.

Following a full-count walk issued to Joshua Benfield that loaded the bases, Cade Giles drove in Dellerman with a one-out single up the middle, and one out later Vargas scored Downey with an infield hit.

Guilford then executed its game-winning rally in the visitors’ fifth when Vargas rapped an opposite-field single to left with one away and one out later Angelo Pahila coaxed a full-count free pass prior to Dellerman drilling a double up the gap in right-center to drive in both base runners and provide the margin of victory.