Delta High School showed why it is one of the top teams in all of Colorado’s Class 3A when it picked up its sixth consecutive win in convincing fashion Friday on the road at Durango High School.
Behind 6 1/3 stellar innings on the mound from Eli Farmer and back-to-back run-scoring triples from Trevor Myers and Gauge Lockhart in the fifth inning, the Class 3A third-ranked Delta Panthers (9-2) rolled to a 8-1 win against the host Class 4A Demons (2-6).
Farmer earned with win, as he allowed only six hits and two walks and one earned run.
“I trusted my catcher (Nolan Bynum) a lot and my fastball, I had pretty good command today,” the senior season.
Farmer struck out six Demons and didn’t surrender a run until the bottom of the seventh inning when Niko Mestas singled to right field to score Al Hurworth from second base. Hurworth had reached on a one-out single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Mestas, the Demons’ ninth hitter in the lineup, delivered the run batted in.
Durango had a chance to get after Farmer in the bottom of the first inning, as the Demons had the bases loaded with one out as Gage Mestas was hit by a pitch, Dawson Marcum singled and Elias Fiddler drew a walk. But freshman Jordan Stanley struck out looking and Gus Kidd grounded out to shortstop to end the inning. Kidd’s shot off the bat was hard hit up the hole between shortstop and third base, but Delta’s Rowyn Carmichael made a backhanded stab and fired to first base to get Kidd and end the inning. The next inning, Carmichael turned a double play after Sten Joyner had gotten the Demons going with a leadoff single.
Not scoring early proved to cost the Demons, who stranded eight runners on base in the loss.
“If you’ve got no runs through six innings, it’s tough,” DHS head coach Eric Baker said. “I think we’re swinging the bats better and things are coming around, but we have to string them together more and see if we can get out of this hitting funk.”
Lockhart closed the game for Delta, as he struck out Gage Mestas and Cal Walsh around a walk to Marcum.
“That’s been great to have Gauge closing it,” Farmer said. “I know if I have trouble or anything, he will come in and shut them down.”
Delta got on the board in the top of the second inning when catcher Nolan Bynum ripped a two-run single that scored Caleb Miramontes and Clayton Abila. DHS starting pitcher Fynn Hyson was sharp most of the game, but two hit batters in the second inning proved costly after he had gotten two quick outs to start the inning.
Delta rallied again in the fifth inning. Kolby Keller led off with a single, and Bynum laid down a sacrifice bunt to move him over to second. Carmichael grounded out to give the Demons two outs, but Myers and Lockhart ripped their triples, both the opposite way to right field, and Farmer helped his own cause with a single.
Delta added three more runs in the sixth, as Bynum had an RBI-single to score Abila and Carmichael followed with a two-run single to score Keller and Bynum.
“He’s like our rock,” Farmer said of Bynum, the sophomore catcher. “He’s a great catcher and hitter. I love the guy.”
Hyson pitched 5 1/3 innings for the Demons. He allowed 10 of Delta’s 15 hits. He issued four free passes and struck out two. Hurworth finished the game for the Demons.
“As a pitcher, when you feel you have to be perfect all the time, that’s too much pressure,” Baker said. “I thought our pitching was decent today. Not as on as he was up in Falcon last week, but he was throwing well. He pitched to contact and made them earn their runs. Delta earned their runs hitting the ball.”
Durango will look for its first home win of the season at 11 a.m. Saturday against New Mexico’s Kirtland Central, which beat Durango 13-1 two weeks earlier. DHS is 0-2 at home, while Delta improved to 2-0 on the road.
“We’d like to have another chance, a do-over,” Baker said of the Kirtland Central matchup. “Don’t think they’re a 13-1 better team than us, but again, we have to generate some offense to get it done.”
Late Friday night, Bayfield High School fell 12-9 to Sterling at the Brush tournament. Game statistics were not available at press time.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
