ITTA BENA – The Delta Devils (14-14) of Mississippi Valley State University would not be denied Tuesday, as MVSU rallied three times to eventually down the No. 20-ranked Statesmen of Delta State University (24-13), 5-4, in 10 innings at Magnolia Field.

The Statesmen led by as many as two runs, 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth, before the Delta Devils made their move. In the bottom of the sixth, MVSU scored two runs, aided by a DSU error, to tie the game at 3-3.

Michael Niemann's RBI-triple to left-center scored Devin Goodwin from first to put the Statesmen back on top 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Again MVSU rallied in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 4-4. Sean Bard led off the inning with a Texas-league double down the rightfield line. Cody Pride followed with an RBI single to right that brought Bard around to tie the game for a second time.

Both teams failed to score in the ninth, sending the contest into extra innings tied at 4-4.

After failing to score in the top of the tenth, the Delta Devils sealed their fate in the bottom of the inning. DSU reliever Toby Easterly (3-4) sat down the first two MVSU batters before running into trouble. A two-out triple by Pride put the winning run a mere 90 feet away. An intentional walk to Jeff Squier and an unintentional walk to Hudson Barnes loaded the bases for Chris Herron. Herron quickly fell behind in the count 1-2, but laced the next pitch into right for the game-winning hit.

The Delta Devils finished the affair with five runs on eight hits with one error, while the Statesmen plated four runs on 10 hits with one error.

Chris Mills (3-1) picked up the win in relief, working the ninth and tenth innings, allowing only one hit with three strikeouts.

Easterly took the loss for the Statesmen after working 2.2 innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Jason Coats started the game for DSU, working 4.0 innings, allowing only one run on two hits. The junior from Starkville didn't factor into the decision. Brandon Hall also worked 3.0 innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits.

Niemann, Clay Sartain, Kellen Bozeman, and Steven Oswald all recorded two hits each for the Statesmen. Niemann, a sophomore from Yelm, Wash., extended his team-high hit streak to 17 games.

Junior rightfielder Cade Hoggard connected on his tenth home run in the fourth, tying Goodwin for the team lead.

Herron led MVSU at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Statesmen will return to action this weekend versus the University of Arkansas-Monticello for a three-game Gulf South Conference West Division series at Ferriss Field. Friday's single game is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch. Saturday's doubleheader is set for a 2 p.m. start, and the Statesmen will be recognizing their seniors starting at 1:40 p.m. The series will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting 15 minutes prior to first pitch. Matt Jones and Dan Hawthorne will have the call.