With the start of postseason sectional play just over a week away, the Delphi baseball team hopes to regain some momentum to close the regular season on a high note and enter tournament play on a role.

One advantage that the Oracles will have this year is that Delphi will be at home as a host site for Sectional play, the first time in a very long time that it has opted to do so.

The Oracles prepared for the postseason playing three of four away from home in the past week, now making nine of the last ten that they have played on the road.

Delphi was able to earn a split against Hoosier Conference foe West Lafayette, losing 7-3 at WL last Tuesday, before beating the Red Devils at home on Wednesday 10-7. They went back on the road to defeat Class 1A's #12-ranked North White on Friday 7-2, before bowing to Tipton in another conference road game, 7-6 Monday.

At West Lafayette

Shane Hyman had three hits and an RBI, and freshman Karson Bender added two hits and an RBI to lead the 9-hit Oracle offense.

Tanner Cripe had a double, and Austin Hawn, Dustin Salyer and Tyler Willis each singled for Delphi.

Cripe pitched four innings in relief of Willis, striking out three and allowing only two earned runs as three Oracle miscues led to two unearned runs.

Vs. West Lafayette

Bender went 4-for-4 with four RBIs, including a 3-run home run and a pair of doubles as the Oracles gained a measure of redemption over the Red Devils.

Andrew Flora went 2-for- 2 with an RBI and A.J. Beckett added two hits to the 12-hit Delphi attack. Hawn and Cripe each had a double and an RBI.

Willis had a hit and an RBI, and Salyer added a hit, with Hawn earning the victory on the mound in relief of Beckett, hurling four innings and striking out five.

At North White

Bender stayed on a tear going 3-for-4, including a double, triple and two RBIs to lead the 10-hit attack as Salyer pitched his first complete game of the season, striking out four and allowing only two runs.

Dayton Rumell had a double and an RBI, while Tyler Smith, Hawn and Cripe each had a hit and an RBI, along with a double from Beckett and hits from Salyer and Willis.

At Tipton

Seven errors, including three in the bottom of the seventh inning proved costly to the Oracles, who could not hold onto a 6-2 lead and drop to 1-6 on the season in games decided by two runs or less.

Hawn and Cripe each had two hits for Delphi and combined to allow only two earned runs on the mound with Cripe adding a pair of RBIs and Neil Snoeberger, Salyer and Bender tallying a hit and an RBI apiece.

Bender is now 10-for-15 (.667 avg.) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and eight RBIs over the last four games. Salyer is riding a 12-game hitting streak and is 20-of-44 (.455) during the span, including 16 RBIs, three doubles and a triple, and Hawn is hitting .366 (15-of-41) over the last 15 games after a slow start.

Delphi completes the regular season this week with three Hoosier Conference contests - hosting Tipton Tuesday night (too late for print), before traveling to Rensselaer Thursday at 6 p.m. then hosting the Bombers in the back-half of the home-and-home series on Friday at 6 p.m.