Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PENSACOLA, Fla.—The Delta State University baseball team came into the weekend against West Florida needing to pick up important Gulf South Conference and South Region victories. The Statesmen picked up those victories in a big way, as they took both games of the Saturday double header by the scores of 8-1 and 8-2.

The Statesmen offense struck first in game one with a run in the opening inning. Sam Kidd reached base on an Argonaut error, and Jordan Chovanec followed with a base hit through the right side. Ben Kingsley then brought Kidd home with a sacrifice fly to left field. 

The lead did not last long, as the Argos came back and tied the game in the bottom of the first. Taye Larry led the inning off with a double to left field. After a groundout advanced Larry to third, he was able to score on a wild pitch.

With the game tied up at one the Statesmen took control of the game with a run in the second inning, and two in the third. In the second with Brent Kakwitch on first, Brent Langston sent a base hit into left field. Later in the inning, Jonathan Andrews brought Langston home on a double.

Jon Carnahan got the third inning going with a single to left field. Michael Vinson followed with a base hit of his own before Kakwitch loaded the bases with a single. Langston then grounded into a double play but Carnahan was able to score. Andrews then brought Vinson home on an RBI single.

The Statesmen remained up 4-0 until the eighth inning, before scoring a run in the frame, and three more in the ninth. Andrews and Kidd both hit one-out singles to put runners on the corners in the eighth. A double by Chovanec brought Andrews home.

Tyler Aldridge sent a base hit into left field to bring Morris Grant home for the first run in the ninth inning. Andrews then cleared the bases with a 2-RBI base up the middle. The runs capped off a huge 8-1 win for the Statesmen.

Aaron Newcomb was solid on the mound for the Statesmen, as he improved to 5-2 on the season. Newcomb pitched 7 innings, gave up just one earned run on seven hits, walked four, and struck out eight. Jared Bond pitched 2 shutout innings in relief, and gave up just two hits.

Jake Stephens suffered the loss in game one, and dropped to 5-2 on the season. Stephens pitched just two innings, gave up four runs with three being earned, walked two, and struck out one.

Andrews was spectacular at the plate for the Statesmen, as he was 5-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs. It was the first time this season a Statesmen batter recorded five hits in a game.

Game two started differently, as West Florida plated the first two runs by scoring in the first two innings.

In the first, Dustin Saulmon sent a one-out single to left field. Eric Sauls then sent a double to right-center, which scored Salmon from first. The second inning got going for the Argos when Blake Barber was walked with two outs. A throwing error on a pick-off attempt sent Barber to second. A single by Larry scored Barber from second, and the run gave the Argos the 2-0 lead.

After being blanked in the first two innings, the Statesmen got on the board with a pair of runs in the third. After a pitch hit Kidd, Grant sent a one-out base hit into center field. A fielding error with Kingsley loaded the bases. Chad Fortenberry then brought two home with a double down the left field line. The runs tied the game up at two.

The Statesmen offense went back to work in the fourth inning, and took the lead. Chovanec lined a single down the left field line with one out. Chovanec was then able to steal second with two outs, and a bad throw put him on third. Kidd then was able to reach base when the catcher dropped strike three, and a throwing error to first base not only put Kidd on first, but also scored Chovanec.

The game remained 3-2 in favor of the Statesmen until the six inning when the squad broke the game wide open. Chovanec was the first Statesmen base runner of the frame after he was hit by a pitch with two outs. A single by Andrews put two men on before Kidd roped a double down the right field line that scored Chovanec. After a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Kingsley brought everybody home with a 3-RBI double to right field. Kingsley himself was able to score on the play due to a throwing error that ended up in the West Florida dugout. The runs made it 8-2 game, which is where it would stay.

Colton Mitchell (4-0) picked up his second complete game for the Statesmen, and picked up the win. Over the seven innings, Mitchell gave up two runs with one being earned on eight hits; he walked four, and struck out five.

Josh Tanski suffered the loss for the Argos. Tanski pitched 5.2 innings, gave up seven runs with six being earned on eight hits, struck out three, and did not walk a batter.

The two wins gave the Statesmen their first series victory over West Florida since the 2008 season. The Statesmen will go for the sweep Sunday, as they conclude their series with the Argos. First pitch is set for 1 p.m., with airtime on the Statesmen Sports Network set for 12:45 p.m.