CLEVELAND- The Statesmen trailed by seven runs after two innings and struggled at the plate as they dropped their fourth loss in six games, falling to Florida Southern 9-1 Friday afternoon at Ferriss Field. 

The Statesmen drop to 5-6 on the season, while the Moccasins improve to 9-3 on the young season. 

Florida Southern wasted no time in scoring runs early, posting four runs in the first followed by three more in the second for a 7-0 lead. 

Kellen Bozeman's (4) solo-shot in fourth to lead off the inning was the only run the Statesmen could produce leaving six men on base for the game. 

Florida Southern added two more runs in the eighth and ninth innings to take game one of a three game series. 

As a team, Delta State tallied five hits on the day, led by Michael Niemann, who finished 2-for-4. Devin Goodwin, Bozeman and Steven Oswald also managed to crack the hit column. 

Wade Kirkland led Mocs at the plate, batting 4-for-5 with one RBI. 

Joey Haston (1-1) took the loss for the Statesmen after pitching two innings and giving up seven runs off of eight hits with one strikeout. 

Max Russell grabbed the win for the visitors, pitching a complete game while giving up five hits and a run. 

The Statesmen and Moccasins close out the series tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at Ferriss Field.