FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 23 Statesmen (2-1-1) of Delta State University concluded their four game road swing through the “Sunshine” state Saturday with a 4-3 and 11-4 sweep of Nova Southeastern (1-3) at the Nike/OTS Challenge hosted by the Sharks at NSU Baseball Complex.

In game one, Statesmen reliever Coty Saranthus (1-0) came out of the bullpen to pitch the Statesmen to a 4-3 win over the Sharks. Tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth, Saranthus, a junior right-hander from Byram, came out of the pen and closed the door on NSU in final 2.1 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with three strikeouts.

After Saranthus entered the game in the fifth, the Statesmen got the game-winning hit in the sixth, a solo home run to left, off the bat of third baseman Josh Gordon (2) to give the green-and-white a 4-3 lead.

Sarathus, a former Southwest Mississippi star, shutdown the Sharks offense in the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win for Delta State - its first of the season.

Gordon paced the Statesmen in game one, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a home run and one RBI. Michael Niemann went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Cade Hoggard was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Chris Escobar also connected on his first career home run for DSU, a solo shot in the third.

Jason Coats started the game for DSU, working 4.2 innings allowing three unearned runs on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout.

NSU's Sean Albury (0-1) took the loss in relief after working 1.0 inning and surrendering Gordon's home run.

In game two, the Statesmen offense exploded early, staking the green-and-white to a commanding 8-3 lead after three innings. DSU took a 1-0 lead in the first on Hoggard's RBI-single to left, scoring Niemann from second.

NSU tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Rhys Roberts.

The Statesmen tacked on three runs in the second thanks to a two-RBI single by Billy Ray Todd and an RBI single by Gordon to center.

DSU plated four runs in the third due in part to Gordon's two-RBI single, Niemann's RBI single to right and Patrick Strack's RBI double to left center.

The Sharks would take advantage of a DSU error to score two unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to five, 8-3.

NSU made it 8-4 in the bottom of the fifth, but couldn't hold onto the margin, as DSU got RBIs from Michael Vinson, Strack and Blanchard to put the game away 11-4 in the sixth.

Josh Branstetter (1-0), a freshman from Pensacola, Fla., earned his first career win for DSU after throwing 2.2 innings and allowing just three runs, one earned, on two hits with five walks and three strikeouts. James Denton (2.1), Jeffrey Vance (1.0) and Jason Judge (1.0) also worked in relief.

Nick Avila (0-1) was saddled with the loss for NSU after giving up seven earned runs on six hits in just 2.0 innings.

Billy Ray Todd led the Statesmen with three hits and two RBIs in the win. Gordon continued his hot hitting as well, going 1-for-3 with three RBIs, while Niemann went 2-for-5. Strack recorded his first two RBI game of the season and Chase Blanchard went 2-for-4 as well.

NSU's Dustin Maggs collected three of the Sharks five hits on the day in the loss.

The Statesmen will continue their season-opening road tour, as Delta State travels to Lambuth University for three game series this coming weekend in Jackson, Tenn. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game are both slated to begin at noon. Delta State plays its first home game on Tuesday, Feb. 16 versus the University of Montevallo. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at Ferriss Field.