BERLIN- Two pitchers this week combined to throw the first no-hitter in the young history of the Delmarva Aces, a growing local baseball organization, and the timing could not have been much better.
Founded just eight months ago by former Stephen Decatur standouts David Whigham and Mike Castrignano, the Delmarva Aces have been growing by leaps and bounds in less than a year. Whigham and Castrignano both played at the collegiate and professional level before returning to their roots on the shore to start the Delmarva Aces program.
Whether it is state of the art instruction, a well-structured strength and conditioning program or a training academy, the Delmarva Aces are offering aspiring young players to pursue their baseball dreams and prepare to play at the next level, wherever that may take them. Under the tutelage of Whigham and Castrignano, along with their growing staff, the organization now fields 16 baseball and softball teams and over 200 players.
The Delmarva Aces under-15 team is competing this week along with 45 teams from all over the country in the Diamond Nation 15U World Series in New Jersey. On Tuesday, young pitchers Doug Avery and Ben Ashby combined to pitch the first no-hitter in the history of the organization in a 14-0 win over Parkeast Baseball.
Avery and Ashby allowed just two baserunners all day in the 14-0 win and got plenty of firepower from the offense. Zach Dale hit a grand slam in the second inning, marking the second slam in the history of the organization. Two batters later, Perez Nichols hit a two-run shot to expand the Aces’ lead and there was no looking back.
The Delmarva Aces started pool play with a 2-1 record. On Monday, the Aces beat the Staten Island Orioles in the first game, but then fell to the New York Grays, 8-2, also on Monday. Delmarva rebounded with the resounding 14-0 win over Parkeast on Tuesday to improve to 2-1 in pool play.