Box Score ROME, Ga. – Delta State University redshirt sophomore Rickey Winters (4-0) tossed a complete game with a career-high nine strikeouts to power the No. 8 Statesmen (38-12) past the Argonauts (34-17) of the University of West Florida 7-3 on Monday, May 7 in a Gulf South Conference Tournament elimination game at State Mutual Stadium.  The victory puts the Green-and-White into Tuesday's GSC Tournament championship round against either North Alabama or Alabama-Huntsville. 

After falling 8-4 in the winner's bracket final versus UAH on Sunday, the Statesmen needed someone to step up for DSU and Winters answered coach Mike Kinnison's call.  The Bartlett, Tenn., native had never thrown more than 5.2 innings in a game, but on Monday the hard-throwing right-hander kept the Argos off balance all day, recording career-highs for innings pitched (9.0) and strikeouts (9), en route to the win.    

The Statesmen jumped on the Argos early in the bottom of the first inning, as Jon Carnhan and Michael Vinson recorded back-to-back RBI singles to give DSU the early 2-0 lead. 

DSU loaded the bases again in the second inning, chasing UWF starter Brian Ellington (6-4) from the game, but the Statesmen failed to scratch a run across as UWF reliever Jordan DeLorenzo worked out of the jam. 

UWF finally touched Winters in the third, as the Argos scored their first run of the game on an RBI triple by Taye Larry, scoring Leo Lemarche, who reached on a Josh Crowdus throwing error.  Dustin Saulmon's RBI infield single scored Larry from third to tie the game at 2-2. 

The Statesmen put it away in the bottom of the third with five runs on two hits, as the UWF bullpen once again failed to shutdown the DSU offense.  Vinson led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on Tyler Aldridge's single to left.  After a walk to Brent Langston, Brent Kakwitch and Crowdus were hit by back-to-back pitches by DeLorenzo to make it 4-2 DSU.

DeLorenzo was pulled by UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat and Josh Tanski came on to quell the Statesmen threat.  The left-hander walked Chovanec to bring in another run and extend the DSU lead to 5-2.  Ben Kingsley followed up was a two-RBI single to center that plated two runs and made it a 7-2 Statesmen lead after three innings.

Winters mowed down for the Argos for the next six innings, allowing only a solo home run to Larry in the eighth, to close out the 7-3 Statesmen win.  The final line for the redshirt sophomore read like a well-written novel, as the Argos scratched out just three runs, one earned, on four hits off Winters. 

UWF used four pitchers in the game, as DeLorenzo (6-3) took the loss after surrendering five runs on one hit in 0.2 innings of relief.  Tanski tossed 5.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts, while Bobby Parker worked a scoreless eighth.  Argos starter Ellington managed juts 1.1 innings, while giving up two runs on three hits.

DSU had seven Statesmen record one hit versus UWF on the day.  Kingsley closed with two RBIs to take over the team seasonal lead with 42, while Chovanec, Carnahan, Vinson, Kakwitch and Crowdus all knocked in one run. 

Larry led UWF at the plate going 2-for-4 with a triple, home run and two RBIs. 

The Statesmen will face the winner of the North Alabama/Alabama-Huntsville game at 11 a.m. EST/10 a.m. CST on Tuesday.  Should UNA win, the game will be an elimination contest between the Statesmen and Lions.  A UAH victory would require two Statesmen victories in order for DSU to claim a GSC title.  The game will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network starting at 10:45 a.m. EST/9:45 a.m. CST on the Statesmen Sports Network.