Delphi senior leaguers claim state title
By John Dunn Contributing Sportswriter

Take state Delphi's senior division of Town and Country baseball won the state championship game Monday night in Walton. Pictured are (l-r): Front - Kaleb Salyer, Evan Atkinson, Jason Sterrett, Brenton Hawn, Hayes Cronk and Ostin Clark. Back - bat boy Brent Tonsoni, Cody Miller, Garrett Johnson, Codey Sattler, Cole Murray, Brandon Tonsoni, Cody Lewis and Kolby Myer. Not pictured are coaches Nick Cronk, Steve Myer, Jeff Johnson, David Hawn and Travis Clark. Photo provided

Against all odds, the Delphi Senior League baseball team won the 39th annual Town & Country Baseball State championship late Monday night in Walton with a thrilling doubleheader sweep over New Paris.

It was Delphi's fourthstraight State championship, unprecedented in Town & Country League tournament history dating to 1969 for any team, but it's first-ever at the 12-year-old-&-under age group, the most difficult title to claim.

Delphi started the winning tradition in 2004 with its firstever baseball State championship of any kind at the Minor League level (8-&-under), then progressed with consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006 in the Junior League (10-&-under).

But to finally win one at the tournament's marquis Major League division, where the size and skill level of nearly every opposition is more developed and finely-tuned, may be the program's greatest accomplishment.

Playing against a rich talentpool of competition in the older division, this title did not come as easy as in the past - there was no cruising through with outright domination. This team had to fight through adversity in a number of areas in order to scratch and claw their way to victory.

But in the end, the team showed the same great heart, character and a will to win that has become its trademark and a known reputation around tournament circles with two comefrom behind victories Monday night.

Delphi entered the game from the once-defeated loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament, needing to win both games of the doubleheader in order to secure the title.

Brimming with confidence and a with a large and raucous crowd, New Paris had defeated Delphi 6-2 in an earlier tournament round game and needed to win only one of two on Monday to claim its own championship.

The defending champs would simply not allow that to happen.

In the first game, New Paris took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom-half of the first inning, but Delphi responded back with two of their own in the second on a two-out 2-RBI single from Cody Miller, scoring both Cole Murray and Kaleb Salyer, who both singled to start the inning.

Murray then singled in Hayes Cronk, who had reached base safely on an error, in the top-half of the third inning to extend the lead to 3-1.

Delphi then took command of the game in the 4th, scoring five runs on seven hits and held on for the 9-5 victory.

Ostin Clark was in control on the mound, pitching a complete game and striking out six.

Murray led the 13-hit offensive attack with three hits and two RBIs, followed by Miller and Kolby Myer who each had two hits and two RBIs.

Clark and Salyer also finished with two hits, while Clark and Brent Hawn added an RBI. Codey Sattler and Evan Atkinson rounded out the offense with a hit apiece.

Game two started in similar fashion with New Paris scoring two runs in the bottom-of-the first to take the early lead, but this time Delphi was facing the Diamond King pitching-ace, perhaps one of the hardestthrowers in the tournament.

Undaunted, Delphi struck back with two runs of its own in the top-of-the-third on consecutive one-out hits from Cronk (a double), Hawn and Clark (another double).

Myer then drove in Sattler, who had led off the fourth with a walk, with a single giving Delphi its first lead at 3-2.

But once again, Delphi relied on a big-inning, this time in the fifth, to tack on four more runs, taking advantage of three New Paris miscues en route to the 7- 4 championship victory.

Murray pitched four no-hit shutout innings to earn the victory on the hill, while Hawn, Clark and Myer led the offense with a hit and an RBI apiece.

Salyer added a double and Atkinson a single to account for the six Delphi hits, with Murray adding an RBI.

"It's been a real pleasure to be a part of this for the past four years," outgoing three-term Delphi Youth Baseball president and coach Steve Myer said. "Our whole goal has been to build the baseball program for the future, and this has been a very special group to accomplish things that no other Delphi team has."

"If they can continue to develop, I think this can be a group to watch down the road," he said.

Delphi had previously defeated Northwestern 3-2 and Greentown twice (5-3 & 5-1) over the weekend to advance to the championship round.

Other members of the team include Jason Sterrett, Garrett Johnson, Brandon Tonsoni and Cody Lewis.

Along with Myer, Delphi is coached by Nick Cronk, with help from David Hawn, Jeff Johnson and Travis Clark.

Other tournament news

Rossville's Minor Leaguers finished third in 8-&-under State tournament play at North Miami, while Delphi's 14-&-under girls' softball team finished runner-up at the 6-team tournament played at Wabash, both sanctioned by the Town & Country League.