For five innings, the Davis High baseball team held visiting Sheldon to almost zero offensive production. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, the other two innings wound up being the difference, as the Huskies rode strong first and sixth frames to a 6-3 victory Monday.

DHS (7-9, 1-3 Delta League) led 3-2 for most of the game, thanks to a productive first inning.

Sheldon (9-7, 1-3) started the game off hot, scoring two in the top half, but the Devils responded in a big way.

The early onslaught started with a one-out single by senior Andrew Bolich, which was followed by a Nate Curtis single and a walk to Tyler Mortensen that filled the bags. Junior Hunter Jury made sure those bases weren’t loaded for long, socking the first pitch he saw to the left-center field wall for a two-run double.

Next up was senior Ian Miramontes, who knocked in Mortensen with a groundout for the third run of the frame. Husky starting pitcher Walker Musso managed to stem the flow there, inducing a grounder from the next batter to end the inning.

Both teams locked down from that point on as Davis never allowed more than one runner on the base paths at any time from the second to the sixth inning, thanks to a number of excellent defensive plays, particularly from Jury. The catcher cut down one Sheldon runner on an attempted steal of second in the third inning, and gunned down a Husky trying to stretch a single to a double on an overthrow.

Blue Devil starting pitcher Walter Bolle threw four very strong innings from the second to the fifth, settling down after his tumultuous first frame to strike out four batters while allowing only three hits in the next four.

“Walter did (well). He gave us a good outing,” said DHS head coach Dan Ariola.

And Musso was equally as strong on the Sheldon mound, keeping the Huskies within striking distance. The Devils did manage to put runners in scoring position on two occasions; once on a Jury single and subsequent steal, and the other a Quentin McCray double followed by a sacrifice fly from Drew Gnos that moved McCray over to third.

Davis was unable to get anything out of either opportunity, however, something that would come back to haunt the locals. The chickens came home to roost in the sixth inning, as Sheldon’s offense exploded.

The Huskies tallied four times in the decisive frame, not only wresting the lead from the hands of the Blue Devils, but also holding it high out of their reach.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Sheldon, prompting Ariola to summon sophomore Tyler Gibson from the bullpen to replace Bolle. A Husky single then tied the game at 3-3, and a mistake on a pick-off throw to first brought in two more runs.

Sheldon managed one more run — an RBI double — before Gibson could cut the rally short. When the dust cleared, the Huskies stood with a 6-3 lead that would prove impregnable.

“Sheldon hit (well) in the sixth, you’ve gotta give them credit,” said Ariola, who had his team back on the field practicing after the loss.

After winning just one of their first four games in the gauntlet that is Delta League play, DHS has its next two against Grant (10-5, 2-2). The Pacers host the Devils on Wednesday, before coming to Davis for a Friday (4 p.m.) matchup.

— Reach Spencer Ault at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @DE_Ault

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