After getting blitzed by the visiting Coquitlam Reds in the first game, the North Delta Blue Jays returned the favour in a rematch Sunday afternoon.
The split of their B.C. Premier Baseball League double header at Mackie Park in North Delta kept the Blue Jays at .500 on the season at 5-5 (won-lost) and in ninth place in the eight-team league.
The Reds scored in each of the first five innings of game one, and cruised to an 8-2 victory. Four Jays pitchers allowed a total of nine hits and seven walks, while fielding errors led to three unearned runs.
Cam Frick was North Delta’s top batter, going two-for-three with one run scored.
Douglas Strohan threw a complete-game four-hitter for North Delta in the second game, getting the win in a 7-2 victory.
Coquitlam took an early lead when Jordan Ramirez smacked a two-run double in the top of the first inning, but Strohan settled down over the next six innings and held Reds batters to just two hits and a pair of walks while striking out five batters.
Strohan’s pitching allowed the Jays to chip away at the Coquitlam lead. The home team got on the board in the second inning on a single from Dirk Van Ommen that scored Frick from third base, then tied the game in the fourth on a wild pitch that allowed Bryan Elias to cross the plate.
Jeff Bouchard batted in the winning run in the fifth with a triple to score Matt Pentland.
Pentland then put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, hitting a bases-loaded double to score three runs, then scoring himself on Steven VanVooght’s base hit.
North Delta will be in Abbotsford tonight (Thursday) for a game with the 4-8 Cardinals, then will host a pair of double headers over the weekend at Mackie Park. The 8-2 Nanaimo Pirates visit Saturday, while the 5-4 North Shore Twins are the guests Sunday. The first game both days is scheduled for noon