Delta fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Rifle on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Bears by a score of 9-8. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Bears apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in April of 2025.
Alex Mack put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Gage Lehrman
| 04/23/26 @ Rifle | 7 |
| 04/18/26 vs Gunnison | 7 |
| 04/15/26 @ Aspen | 5 |
In other pitching news, Delta handed starting duties to Gage Lehrman, who gave a strong showing despite the result: he struck out seven batters over 3.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off one hit. Lehrman has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Gavyn Gibson led a balanced group of hitters, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Jhett Ryan was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Delta's defeat dropped their record down to 11-8. As for Rifle, their victory ended a six-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-11.
Looking ahead, Delta will take on Basalt at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Rifle, they will challenge Steamboat Springs at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Sailors have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 11.53 runs per game on average), something the Bears will no doubt try to take advantage of.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
