Box Score CLEVELAND - The Delta State University Statesmen Baseball team defeated Mississippi Valley State 9-3 Tuesday night at Legion Field in Greenville, Miss.
 
The Statesmen (21-4) scored nine unanswered runs in sets of three to defeat the Division I rival for the second time this season. Delta State scored three runs in the fourth, seventh and ninth.
 
After the Delta Devils (3-21) scored three runs, only one earned, in the second, Delta State answered with three runs in the fourth to tie the game.
 
With two outs, Ben Kingsley singled and Brent Langston and Carlos Leal each drawled walks to load the bases. Kasey Hinton put Delta State on the scored board with a two-RBI single to right center, scoring Kingsley and Langston.
 
Jami Rachal followed it up with an RBI single that scored Leal and tied the game at 3.
 
Delta State took the lead in the seventh, scoring three more runs. With runners on first and third, Sam Kidd hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Hinton.
 
Then Tyler Aldridge, who extended his hitting streak to 25 games in the first inning, reached on a catcher's interference play to put runner's on first and second. Michael Vinso brought Aldridge and Chovanec, on second, home in the next at bat, hitting a stand up double down the right-field line into the right corner, giving Delta State a 6-3 lead.
 
Starter Travis Northern was pulled in the bottom of the seventh after loading the bases with no outs. Taylor Stark relieved Northern and pitched three straight strikeouts to get Delta State out of the jam without surrendering a run.
 
In the eighth inning, Stark did it again, recording all three outs via the strikeout after leading off the inning with a walk.
 
Delta State added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Chovanec scored on a throwing error to home on a Aldridge fielder's choice. Kidd then scored on a RBI single by Vinson. Aldridge scored the final run on a groundout by Kingsley.
 
Trevor Blocker pitched the final inning for the Statesmen, recording the final three outs while giving up a hit and a walk.
 
Delta State will return to action Wednesday night with a non-conference contest against Harding University at Ferriss Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.