Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLEVELAND – The Delta State University baseball team continued Gulf South Conference play Saturday, as they hosted the University of West Alabama. After the Tigers rolled to a 12-1 victory in game one, the Statesmen came back and held on to win game two 6-5.

The Tigers offense got to work quickly on the Statesmen with three runs in the first inning of game one. D.J. Turo fit a sacrifice fly to right field for the game's first run, and Matthew Magee followed with a 2-RBI double to right-center field.

The Statesmen tried to rally in the bottom half of the first innings, but could not score a runner when they had two on base.
West Alabama kept control of the game from there as they plated a run in the third, fourth, and fifth innings.

Down 6-0, the Statesmen tried to rally in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ben Kingsley hit his second home run of the season, as he hit a solo shot over the fence in left field. The run cut the deficit to 6-1, but that would be as close as the Statesmen would get.

The Tiger offense went back to work in the ninth inning, as they tacked on six more runs in the final inning. The runs let the Tigers cruise to a 12-1 victory in the first game of the double header.

Aaron Newcomb (4-1) got the start for the Statesmen, and suffered his first loss of the season. Newcomb pitched seven innings, gave up six earned runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out eight. Bobby Bryan pitched two innings, gave up six runs with only three being earned.

Barry Meeks (4-2) pitched a complete game victory for the Tigers. Meeks gave up just one earned run on seven hits, walked one, and struck out three.

The Statesmen needed to rebound in game two, and they did just that in the opening inning. The squad put three runs on the board in the first inning to grab and early lead. Sam Kidd led the inning off with a single to left field. Brent Kakwitch then brought Kidd home with a double to left center. Kingsley then scored Kakwitch with a base hit of his own. Jon
Carnahan then singled to right field, and Kingsley came into score. The runs gave the Statesmen the 3-0 advantage.

The Statesmen added another run in the bottom of the second inning. After Jordan Chovanec walked, Jonathan Andrews got the inning going with a base hit to right field. Later in the inning, Chovanec scored when Kidd hit into a fielder's choice.

The Tigers got back into the game with a run in the third inning. Micah Reaves brought Ladarrius Cole home with a single to right field. The run made it a 3-1 game.

The Statesmen responded with a run in the fourth and fifth inning. Kingsley brought home Andrews with a base hit to left field. In the fifth inning, Kidd hit an infield single, which scored Brent Langston.

Down 6-1, the Tigers rallied in the late innings to close the game. After a run in the sixth inning, the Tigers put three on the board in the seventh. After plating three runs, Magee came to the plate with a chance to extend the game. However, Brandon Hardin came in to close out the game for the Statesmen, which preserved the 6-5 victory.

Colton Mitchell (3-0) started the game for the Statesmen, and he picked up the victory. Mitchell pitched 6.2 innings, gave up five earned runs on seven hits, walked three, and struck out six. Hardin pitched the final out, and recorded his second save of the season.

Jessie Boyd (3-4) suffered the loss for West Alabama. Boyd threw 3.2 innings, gave up five earned runs on seven hits, walked four, and struck out one.

After the double header split, the Statesmen (15-4, 3-2 GSC) and Tigers (11-14, 3-5 GSC) will close out their series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m., and you can listen live on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 1:45 p.m.