Cape (8-5) @ Delmar (11-3). I think everyone has been waiting for Cape to come alive this year. Before we assume they aren’t as good as we thought, lets remember that their schedule is a very though one. They have played 6 games against the current list of top ten teams…no team has played more games against the top ten teams this year. Of course you have to beat the good teams, and they are 2-4. But lets also remember that they lost to Smyrna 3-2, Sallies 2-0 and Caravel by 1 run. They also have a 9-0 win over Mtown and a 6-1 win over Dover. Cape has won its last two games over Seaford (11-1) and Tech (10-0). In saying all that, Cape is obviously a very good team, but they need to get more wins to be safe for the playoffs. They are only 1 game back from Dover in the conference standings and they have beaten Dover. But they are tied with Smyrna, who beat Cape and Poly who beat Cape. After Delmar, Cape has a scrappy IR team, then Lake. But they finish with Appo and St Marks. As for Delmar, they have been one of the least challenged teams in the state so far. They have only had 2 games against a top 20 team (Smyrna & Tech). Delmar is on a three game winning streak, including a 10-1 win over a very good Parkside team. Now they take on Cape, Dover, Poly and Milford to finish their season. Their fate is basically in their own hands. They could easily lose to all four of those teams and be a bubble team or beat all four teams and be a higher seed. Delmar is also tied with Milford for the conference title, with a big matchup with Milford as the last game of the season that could decide the title. We all know Cape has the pitching, only allowing 3 runs per game on average, as well as the big bats, scoring nearly 8 runs per game on average. But statistically Delmar is better in BOTH categories! Delmar is scoring 9 runs per game and only allowing just over 2 runs per game. Last year Cape 1-hit Delmar with Elliott and Heffernan on the mound, striking out 16 batters, winning 4-0. Elliott shut down Delmar in 2015 as well throwing a 1 hitter and striking out 11 batters.
Newark Charter (10-4) @ St Georges (8-4). Newark Charter is 2-2 in its last four games, with 2 losses to #1 ranked Conrad. NC is a very good squad. They have wins over Sallies, Archmere twice and DMA. Their losses were close ones to Appo and St E as well two to Conrad. NC is only allowing 3 runs per game on average behind the good pitching from Vivian, Kelby and Chopko. At the plate they are scoring over 5 runs per game with Buglio tied for the lead in HR’s at 5 this season. St Georges has been quietly moving along through its schedule this year. They have the biggest bats in the state though. They have scored 154 runs (12 runs per game). Granted that a lot of the those runs came against Christiana, Dickinson, McKean and Howard. But they did put up 8 on Sallies, 7 on Glasgow, 12 on Milford, 10 on Mtown and 6 on Hodgson. They have 5 HR’s, 2 of which were grand slams. On the mound, they aren’t quite as dominant though. They are allowing over 4 runs per game on average, that’s a little deceiving because 28 runs were to two teams. But on the flip side, against quality opponents they gave up pretty big runs.
Milford (8-5) @ Seaford (6-6). Milford is tied for the lead in the Henlopen South conference with Delmar. They are coming off a 11-7 loss to Dover last week and haven’t played since last Tuesday. Seaford is 2 games back in the conference and was having a really good season with wins over Poly and Delmar, but have lost 2 straight games to St Marks and Cape being outscored 22-1. With six games remaining, Seaford has a chance to be fighting for a spot in the playoffs at the end. They have Milford, Laurel, Tech, Central, St Thomas More and Howard left on their schedule.
DMA (8-6) @ Conrad (12-0). Big conference rivalry here. DMA lost a very close game to Conrad back in mid April, 2-1. Bradigan and Danz both pitched 3 hitters in that game. DMA has lost 3 of its last 4 games though. Getting shut out by Hodgson (3-0) and Appo (4-0) as well as a 9 inning loss to Archmere 6-5. DMA started the season 5-1, but has gone 3-5 since then. Conrad is just burning through its schedule. They are 4-0 against other top ten teams. Bradigan (7-0) and Maxwell (5-0) are pitching very well. Conrad only has 8 errors in 12 games (best ratio in the state) and are only allowing 1.6 runs per game on average (top rpg in the state). DMA has lost three straight close games to Conrad going back to last year.
Dover (11-3) @ Sussex Tech (8-5). Tech started the season 7-0, but not a single team they beat, currently has a winning record. Since then they are 1-5 and all 5 of the teams they lost to are top 20 ranked teams. Even more disturbing is that the losses haven’t been pretty. They have been outscored in those 5 games, 54-12 (three 10-run rule games). For Dover, they also started 7-0 and are just 4-3 since then. But Dover has beaten Poly, Smyrna (13-1) and Milford (11-7). Dover lost to a good Parkside team 4-1, but got beat by Cape 6-1 and Central 7-0. On Average, Dover scores 7 runs per game and only allows just over 3 runs per game.
Polytech (9-3) @ Central (6-7). Poly has won 6 of its last 7 games, 4 straight. Their only loss in that stretch was a 11-7 loss to Caravel, a game they were only down 6-5 going into the bottom of the fifth. In that stretch they have quality wins over Cape (6-1) and Smyrna (3-1). Poly is 6-2 in the conference, but behind Cape and Smyrna at 7-3 as well as 8-2 Dover (whom they lost to). Poly is two different teams though depending on who is pitching. Poly is 6-1 in games Haas started and 3-2 in games he didn’t. Central has been on a role lately. They have won 3 straight games, including a 7-0 win over Dover. After starting 1-5 on the season, they have gone 5-2 lately. Looking a little closer at Centrals losses, in 5 of the seven losses, they lost by 2 runs or fewer. They lost to Tech, Delmar & CR by 1 and by 2 runs to Cape and Milford.
Newark Charter (10-4) @ St Georges (8-4). Newark Charter is 2-2 in its last four games, with 2 losses to #1 ranked Conrad. NC is a very good squad. They have wins over Sallies, Archmere twice and DMA. Their losses were close ones to Appo and St E as well two to Conrad. NC is only allowing 3 runs per game on average behind the good pitching from Vivian, Kelby and Chopko. At the plate they are scoring over 5 runs per game with Buglio tied for the lead in HR’s at 5 this season. St Georges has been quietly moving along through its schedule this year. They have the biggest bats in the state though. They have scored 154 runs (12 runs per game). Granted that a lot of the those runs came against Christiana, Dickinson, McKean and Howard. But they did put up 8 on Sallies, 7 on Glasgow, 12 on Milford, 10 on Mtown and 6 on Hodgson. They have 5 HR’s, 2 of which were grand slams. On the mound, they aren’t quite as dominant though. They are allowing over 4 runs per game on average, that’s a little deceiving because 28 runs were to two teams. But on the flip side, against quality opponents they gave up pretty big runs.
Milford (8-5) @ Seaford (6-6). Milford is tied for the lead in the Henlopen South conference with Delmar. They are coming off a 11-7 loss to Dover last week and haven’t played since last Tuesday. Seaford is 2 games back in the conference and was having a really good season with wins over Poly and Delmar, but have lost 2 straight games to St Marks and Cape being outscored 22-1. With six games remaining, Seaford has a chance to be fighting for a spot in the playoffs at the end. They have Milford, Laurel, Tech, Central, St Thomas More and Howard left on their schedule.
DMA (8-6) @ Conrad (12-0). Big conference rivalry here. DMA lost a very close game to Conrad back in mid April, 2-1. Bradigan and Danz both pitched 3 hitters in that game. DMA has lost 3 of its last 4 games though. Getting shut out by Hodgson (3-0) and Appo (4-0) as well as a 9 inning loss to Archmere 6-5. DMA started the season 5-1, but has gone 3-5 since then. Conrad is just burning through its schedule. They are 4-0 against other top ten teams. Bradigan (7-0) and Maxwell (5-0) are pitching very well. Conrad only has 8 errors in 12 games (best ratio in the state) and are only allowing 1.6 runs per game on average (top rpg in the state). DMA has lost three straight close games to Conrad going back to last year.
Dover (11-3) @ Sussex Tech (8-5). Tech started the season 7-0, but not a single team they beat, currently has a winning record. Since then they are 1-5 and all 5 of the teams they lost to are top 20 ranked teams. Even more disturbing is that the losses haven’t been pretty. They have been outscored in those 5 games, 54-12 (three 10-run rule games). For Dover, they also started 7-0 and are just 4-3 since then. But Dover has beaten Poly, Smyrna (13-1) and Milford (11-7). Dover lost to a good Parkside team 4-1, but got beat by Cape 6-1 and Central 7-0. On Average, Dover scores 7 runs per game and only allows just over 3 runs per game.
Polytech (9-3) @ Central (6-7). Poly has won 6 of its last 7 games, 4 straight. Their only loss in that stretch was a 11-7 loss to Caravel, a game they were only down 6-5 going into the bottom of the fifth. In that stretch they have quality wins over Cape (6-1) and Smyrna (3-1). Poly is 6-2 in the conference, but behind Cape and Smyrna at 7-3 as well as 8-2 Dover (whom they lost to). Poly is two different teams though depending on who is pitching. Poly is 6-1 in games Haas started and 3-2 in games he didn’t. Central has been on a role lately. They have won 3 straight games, including a 7-0 win over Dover. After starting 1-5 on the season, they have gone 5-2 lately. Looking a little closer at Centrals losses, in 5 of the seven losses, they lost by 2 runs or fewer. They lost to Tech, Delmar & CR by 1 and by 2 runs to Cape and Milford.
