Scheurmann makes history with 1,000th win as Delgado sweeps Coastal Alabama

NEW ORLEANS – The wait was worth it.

With the pressure building as the anticipation of reaching the 1,000 win milestone for Joe Scheuermann approached, the Delgado Dolphins, who had won 16 straight games, began playing a bit tightly, tentatively.

The desire to reach the goal was palpable.

After several shaky moments and a few close calls, the goal was achieved Tuesday afternoon at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium as Delgado downed Coastal Alabama 10-4 in game two of a doubleheader to sweep the twin bill.

The symmetry was amazing. The win was the 29th of the season in the 29th year with Scheuermann as the head coach of the Dolphins for his 1,000th victory.

“It’s special to be recognized,” Scheuermann said. “There are so many people who made this possible, starting with my father. All of our players and coaches have made this job special.”

Scheuermann admitted that he and his players were feeling some pressure to accomplish the goal.

“We’ve been pressing, I know I’ve been pressing,” Scheuermann said. “I’m sure our kids feel what I felt. I probably didn’t do a real good job of coaching to be honest with you the last two weeks. I wanted it to happen to get it out the way. You saw the last inning. We didn’t know what to do, to be honest with you. I went to the mound and said we are going to get three outs before we give up six runs.”

The Dolphins (29-7) scored first in game two in the bottom of the first inning as Connor Feustle tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Schulz to make it 1-0. With two outs, Grant Schulz blasted his sixth home run of the season to make it 2-0. Ross Scelfo doubled and Jake Swiacki singled before Justin Ory tripled both home and it was 4-0 after one inning.

The Sun Chiefs rallied in the top of the third as Tyler Tingle and Evan Robertson each singled and Ahmad Everett belted his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, to cut the deficit to 4-3. After Zack Wilson was hit by a pitch before Brett Buck drove him home with a double and it was tied 4-4.

Delgado took the lead back in the bottom of the third on a double by Scelfo, an error, a walk to load the bases and a two-run single by Feustle and it was 6-4. A wild pitch scored a third run to make it 7-4. Feustle then scored on an errant throw-back to the pitcher from the catcher to make it 8-4 before Schulz singled home a fifth run to make it 9-4.

The Dolphins made it 10-4 in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Briuglio and he scored on a sacrifice fly by Tyler McManus.

With history in the making, Coastal Alabama loaded the bases in the seventh inning but Roussel got a strikeout, a force out at home plate and finished it with a groundout to Ory at shortstop to clinch the magical victory.

Roussel went the distance to pick up the historic victory, all the legacy behind his name,” Roussel said. “It’s just an honor. I just kind of took as another game. I saw the tents and cameras and tried to put it to the side. He tries to make us keep our composure when we are out there.”

“It’s nice to be put on that stage with all the legacy behind his name and everything, it’s just an honor,” Roussel said. “I just kind of took it as another game. I saw the tents and cameras and everything else and tried to put it to the side. He tries to make us keep our composure when we’re out there. He was pretty happy, the happiest I’ve seen him in a while.”

Scheuermann took over the Delgado program in 1991 from his late father, Louis “Rags” Scheuermann, one of the truly great baseball men to ever call New Orleans home and one of the truly nicest people I have ever met. The father is very proud of the son today.

“We’ve been very fortunate,” Scheuermann said. “We’ve had some things go our way for a long time. It’s been fun being here. A lot of people say ‘why are you still here?’ I love coming to work every day. That’s why I’m still here. When I stop not liking get up in the morning, when I stop liking my things to do list, I’ll probably get out of coaching. It’s fun. A lot of what I say is my dad’s voice. I’m not very smart or intelligent. I use a lot of his lines. I here him all the time.”

Chad Terminie, who was on Joe Scheuermann’s first team at Delgado and was the winning pitcher in his first game, was on hand to celebrate the accomplishment.

“I was fortunate enough to be under Rags my freshman year and then Joe came along my sophomore year and I was able to be the guy on the hump when we got that first victory for him,” Terminie said. “Thinking about it now, with this family and the success and the tradition, this was definitely attainable and I can only imagine how much further he’s going to go with it. This is a great honor to be part of this legacy he’s built for himself. The family has a special place in our hearts.”

And what would Rags say about the 1,000th win and ensuing celebration, complete with a tribute video from the likes of John Bel Edwards, Paul Mainieri, Skip Bertman, Blake Dean and many others?

“He would have said let’s get over with this and go let the kids eat,” Scheuermann said.

Rags would give you the shirt off his back. He used to allow our radio station team to play games at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium. The price was staggering—nothing. All he asked is that we publicize his program and his stadium.

I don’t know if he was supposed to do that for us but I think the statute of limitations has run out. The son, another wonderful baseball man and person who inherited so much from his father, has reached an amazing milestone. It is truly, if you’ll pardon the pun, a rags to riches story.

Final—Game two
CA 004 000 0 4 7 3, 5 LOB
Delgado 405 010 x 10 11 0, 11 LOB
WP—Zachary Roussel (3-1)
LP—Thomas DeFranco (0-2)
Time of Game: 2:02
SB—Connor Feustle
2B—Ross Scelfo 2, Brandon Briuglio
3B—Connor Feustle, Justin Ory
HR—Grant Schulz (6), Ahmad Everett (1)

The record was set up by a 5-4 victory in game one for the Dolphins over the Sun Chiefs.

The Dolphins (28-7) wasted no time solving Coastal Alabama starter Julian Pichardo in the bottom of the first inning. Feustle and Briuglio singled and McManus belted a three-run home run to make it 3-0. Schulz followed with another home run to left to make it 4-0.

The Sun Chiefs (16-20) got on the board in the top of the second on an RBI double by Hunter Bell to cut the deficit to 4-1.

Sam McIntosh took over in the second inning on the mound for the Sun Chiefs and was touched up by Delgado. Feustle walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield single by Briuglio to make 5-1.

Coastal Alabama answered in the top of the third as Tyler Tingle singled, advanced on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on a sacrifice fly by Zack Wilson to make it 5-2.

The Sun Chiefs pulled closer in the top of the fourth and chased Delgado starter Collin Kullivan. Brett Buck singled and Mario Galloway drilled a two-run homer to right to make it 5-4.

The story the rest of the way was the Delgado bullpen as David Vial pitched three shutout innings before giving way to David Theriot, who recorded the final two outs for his second save.

Kullivan got the win to improve to 3-0, going three and one-third innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits. He walked one and struck out two. Pichardo took the loss, lasting just one inning, allowing four runs on six hits. McIntosh went one inning before Ian McMahon pitched very well, hurling four shutout innings, allowing two hits.

Final
CA 011 200 0 4 6 1, 5 LOB
Delgado 410 000 x 5 10 1, 8 LOB
WP—Collin Kullivan (3-0)
LP—Julian Pichardo (1-3)
SAVE—David Theriot (2)
Time of Game: 1:53
SB—Connor Feustle, Tyler Tingle, Evan Robertson, Hayden Fuentes
2B—Hunter Bell
HR—Tyler McManus (8), Grant Schulz (6), Mario Galloway (2)

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