Ninth inning, 1 out. Tappahannock leads the Deltaville Deltas by a run. The game-tying run is on third base with one of the fastest runners on the Deltas’ roster in scoring position. A fly ball to right field, a diving catch, a throw to the plate, and an acrobatic catch, leap, and tag for the final out of the championship.
That’s how close the 2024 NABA Richmond championship between the Deltaville Deltas and Tappahannock Tides ended on Monday night. Deltas’ shortstop Brandt Brophy charged home on a sacrifice fly in an attempt to tie the game, but a fantastic play by the Tappahannock defense secured a 4-3 victory in the winner-take-all third game of the best-of-three series.
The three-game series was marked by dominant pitching performances. In Game 1 on Saturday night in Tappahannock, it was Tides’ ace Tahraun Hammond, who went the distance in for a complete game, two-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory for Tappahannock. Deltas’ right-handers Gabe Espiritu and Dawson Adams pitched fantastic, ...