Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
CLEVELAND, Miss. - No. 18 Delta State baseball picked up a Saturday sweep versus No. 12 Alabama in Huntsville, 5-0 and 2-1, behind complete game pitching performances from
Michael Manley and
Jonathan Moody.
Manley (5-0) took his familiar game one starting position and dominated Alabama in Huntsville by scattering just five hits and a walk over a nine inning complete game performance while striking out six Chargers. Manley, a senior from Raymond, Miss.,  is now 14-0 in his career at Delta State.
Delta State outhit UAH 11-5 in the first game as eight of the nine batters in the line-up recorded a base hit.Â
Kasey Hinton collected three hits and drove in the game's first run with an RBI single beyond the short stop to score
Carlos Leal in the second inning.
The Statesmen added another run in the fourth inning as
Will Robertson scored on a
Landon Thibodeaux single to left field. A pair of runs scored,
Benji Sullivan and
Dex Herrington, on RBI's from
Brent Langston and Leal in the fifth inning. Herrington picked up an RBI single in the sixth, scoring Hinton, to complete the scoring and provide Manley the advantage he needed to dominate the Gulf South Conference rival as he gave up just two hits after the fourth inning.
Ricky Velez had two hits, including a double as one of just two extra base hits in the game for the Statesmen. Herrington (third) and Robertson (first) also picked up stolen bases against the UAH pitching staff.
Moody continued to control UAH in the second game by collecting three strike outs in the first inning, all three on a swing and a miss on strike three. Moody (4-1) won his fourth consecutive start with a complete game effort recording eight strike outs, all eight were struck out swinging. The Millington, Tenn., product walked just one and gave up six hits and the one earned run in the outing.
Delta State (15-6, 13-3 GSC) fell behind after UAH (19-9, 9-5 GSC) scored in the top of the third inning after Chase Handley singled to center field to start the inning and later scored on a Chandler Brock sacrifice fly to left field.
The Statesmen countered with a run in the bottom of the inning with Sullivan scoring on a Leal single through the right side of the infield. Leal added another RBI single to drive in Herrington in the fifth inning to take the lead for good.
Moody controlled the Chargers over the final two innings. In the sixth he recorded all three outs; ground out, pop out, swinging strike out. In the seventh he ended the day the way it began when he struck out Brock for the third time in the game.
The Statesmen outhit the Chargers, nine to six, as Herrington connected on three base hits while Leal and Thibodeaux added two apiece.
The two team will play the series finale tomorrow beginning at 2:00 pm.Â
Ricky Winters (5-0) is expected to get the start for the Statesmen as they look for the three-game weekend sweep.
