Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Delta State University baseball team split its Gulf South Conference opening doubleheader with the University of West Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 15 at Ferriss Field.  The Statesmen (2-3, 1-1 GSC) won game one 5-2 before dropping game two 7-1 to the Tigers (7-2, 1-1 GSC).  

In game one, the Statesman rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to claim a 5-2 victory over the Tigers.  The Statesmen collected five runs on 10 hits with an error in the win, while the Tigers scored two runs on six hits with two errors. 

The Statesmen struck first in the bottom of the first inning, as Jordan Chovanec scored from third on Dex Herrington's fielder's choice for a 1-0 lead.  Chovanec led off the first with a double to left-center and moved into scoring position on Kasey Hinton's single to center.

West Alabama threatened in the second after back-to-back singles by Adam Chamblee and Jack Cockrum.  The duo moved into scoring position on Daniel Bolte's sac-bunt.  DSU starter Michael Manley finally settled in to strike out Joel Murphy and coax a groundout from Jocobby Robinson to end the inning.

In the third, UWA knotted the game at 1-1 on Chamblee's RBI single to left, scoring Tanner Rainey, who reached on an infield single to short.

The Tigers struck again in the top of the fourth, plating a run on Mitch Holgate's RBI single to center.  The single scored Murphy from second to put the Tigers up 2-1.

UWA starter Taylor Bratton had retired 20-of-23 batters faced before the Statesmen finally got to him in the bottom of the eighth.  After a leadoff single by pinch hitter Ben Pickard, the Statesmen strung together three straight singles, including a two-RBI rocket to left off the bat of Ricky Velez to put DSU up 3-2. 

After two Tiger pitching changes, Carlos Leal slapped a single to right off UWA's Logan Colvin to score Herrington and Velez, increasing DSU's lead to 5-2. 

Jonathon Moody (1-0) retired the Tigers in order in the top of the ninth to nail down his first win as a Statesman.  The junior from Millington, Tenn., came on in relief of Manley in the seventh and worked 3.0 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

Manley pitched 6.0 innings in his first start of the season for the Statesmen, allowing two runs on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts.

Bratton (1-2) gave up five earned runs on eight hits in 7.1 innings to take the loss for the Tigers.  Brock Ward, Colvin and Matt Betts worked in relief.

Hinton and Robertson both finished the game 2-for-4 at the plate for the Statesmen.  Velez and Langston also collected two RBI in the win. 

Rainey and Chamblee had two hits apiece to pace the Tigers.   

West Alabama struck first in game two, as Luigi Mendez smacked a two-RBI single to center after the Tigers loaded the bases off DSU starter Drew Milligan.  UWA kept it going on Holgate's RBI back up the box and a pass ball off the glove of Pickard to score two additional runs and extend the lead to 4-0. 

UWA's big inning forced Milligan off the mound and brought Travis Northern in to stop the Tigers offense. 

The Statesmen finally got to UWA starter Zach Parks for a run in the bottom of the second.  Pickard led off the frame with a walk and moved into scoring position after Leal's sac bunt.  Landon Thibodeaux delivered an RBI single to left to score Pickard and cut the UWA lead to 4-1.

In the top of the third, Robinson's single to center off reliever Nick Goza scored Parker Madden, who singled to center to open the inning, to extend the Tigers' lead back to four runs, 5-1.

Following back-to-back singles by Mendez and Robinson, Rainey delivered a two-out, two-RBI double to left-center to put the Tigers up 7-1.

Parks (3-0) earned the win for the Tigers after tossing a complete game.  The senior left-handed pitcher allowed one run on eight hits with two strikeouts and one walk. 

Milligan (0-2) picked up the loss for DSU after allowing four runs in 1.2 innings.  The junior left-hander walked two and struck out one.  Travis Northern pitched 1.0 inning of relief and surrendered one run on two hits. 

Goza, who came on in relief of Northern in the third, gave up two runs on four hits in 3.1 innings.  The junior walked one and struck out two.  Robertson worked a scoreless seventh inning.

Hinton was DSU's lone batter with multiple hits, as the senior second baseman went 2-for-4. 

Mendez led UWA with two hits and two RBIs. 

The Statesmen Tigers will conclude the series on Sunday at Ferriss Field.  First pitch is set for 2 p.m.