Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CLEVELAND, Miss. – The No. 1 ranked Delta State University Baseball team extended its season-opening win streak to nine games with a doubleheader sweep, 12-0 and 7-6, over Florida Southern College Saturday at Ferriss Field.  The Statesmen improved to 9-0 on the season while the Mocs slipped to 5-9.  Senior designated hitter Ben Kingsley went 5-for-7 at the plate in the two games with six RBIs. 

Josh Branstetter tossed 8.0 innings of shutout baseball Saturday, as the No. 1 ranked Statesmen claimed a 12-0 victory over Florida Southern in game one of the series.  The Pensacola, Fla., native earned his 19th career win in the process.  DSU finished the contest with 12 runs on 16 hits while FSC had no runs on four hits with one error. 

The Statesmen struck first in the bottom of the second, as Delta State plated two runs on three hits.  Carlos Leal, who singled to leadoff the inning, came in to score on a pass ball by FSC catcher Brad Carlton.  With Jami Rachal, who also singled on the infield, standing at second base, Jordan Chovanec delivered an RBI double down the right field line to put the Statesmen on top 2-0 off Mocs starter Clay Chapman.

The Mocs finally reached base in the top of the fifth, as Kyle Jackson and T.J. Kuban collected back-to-back singles off Branstetter to leadoff the inning.  The senior right-hander retired the next three batters in order to end the frame. 

DSU exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a commanding 7-0 lead over FSC.  Ben Kingsley's RBI single to right and Leal's two-RBI single to right-center chased Chapman from the mound and brought in Cameron Grimsley for the Mocs.  Pinch-hitter Kasey Hinton reached on a error to score Leal and Chovanec plated Brent Langston to close out the scoring for the Statesmen in the inning. 

FSC threatened again the top of the eighth with two singles by Dominic Brognoni and Brad Carlton, but Branstetter again found a way to retire the three batters in order to take a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.

In the ninth, DSU brought in sophomore left-hander Drew Milligan, who retired the side in order to seal the victory for the Statesmen 12-0. 

Branstetter (2-0) claimed his second-straight victory with a season-high eight strikeouts in 8.0 innings pitched.  The senior from Pensacola, Fla., allowed just four hits and walked one in the win. The victory improved his career record to 19-7 as a starter. 

Kingsley led the Statesmen with three RBIs after a 3-for-5 day at the plate.  Vinson was 3-for-4 with an RBI while Chovanec and Leal both finished the game with two RBIs each.

In game two, DSU once again scratched the scoreboard first.  In the bottom of the first with the bases loaded, Kingsley drilled a two-RBI sac-fly deep to right field, scoring Chovanec and Aldridge, to put the Statesmen up 2-0. 

T.J. Kuban's RBI ground out in the top of the fourth scored the first run of the afternoon for the Mocs, as Keith Curcio, who had singled earlier in the inning, came around to score and cut the DSU lead to 6-1. 

FSC kept the pressure on the Statesmen in the top of the fifth, as the Mocs scored five runs to tie the game at 6-6.  Conner Szczerba, Kuban and Brognoni (2) all collected RBIs for the Mocs.  In the process, DSU starter Colton Mitchell was chased from the game on Kuban's bases loaded walk.  Junior reliever Ricky Winters came on and finally got the Statesmen out of the inning after surrendering the two-RBI single to Brognoni.

A leadoff triple off the rightfield wall by Kingsley set the Statesmen up in the bottom of the sixth.  After Leal went down swinging, Langston launched an RBI single to right-center to put the Green-and-White back on top 7-6. 

Winters returned in the top of the 7th and quickly retired the Mocs to nail down the win in relief for the Statesmen 7-6.  The junior from Bartlett, Tenn., worked 2.2 innings of relief, allowing five hits with two strikeouts in the victory.

Johnson (1-1) took the loss for FSC.  Johnson tossed 6.0 innings while giving up seven runs, six earned, with a walk and four strikeouts. 

Mitchell worked 4.1 innings, but did not factor in the decision.  The senior from Lake, Miss., gave up six runs on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout.

Kingsley went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and scored the game-winning run for the Statesmen.  Aldridge was 2-for-3 with an RBI as well.
Szczerba went 3-for-4 with an RBI to pace the Mocs.  Brugnoni finished the game 1-for-3 with  team-high two RBIs.     

The Statesmen and Mocs will closeout the series on Sunday with the third and final game of the series.  First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Ferriss Field.