Box Score  ROME, Ga. – Senior right-handed pitcher Michael Manley returned to form Friday, April 18, striking out nine and tossing a complete game to power No. 7 Delta State University to a 10-2 victory over Shorter University at the Ledbetter Baseball Complex.  The Statesmen improved to 29-8 on the year and 20-4 in Gulf South Conference play, while the Hawks slipped to 9-27 and 6-16 in the league.  
 
The Statesmen jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first.  After Jordan Chovanec reached on an error, Kasey Hinton laced a single down the right field line. Dex Herrington followed with a bases clearing triple to right-center.  Ricky Velez plated Herrington with a dart up the middle for the third run of the inning.
 
Shorter cut it to a two run lead for DSU with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, as Zach Santos' sac-fly RBI to center scored Dylan Riner, who walked and moved to third on a sac-bunt and wild pitch. 
 
Hawks' starter Russell Crosby settled in for the next four innings, holding the Statesmen scoreless while retiring 11 straight at one point. 
 
With Crosby keeping the Statesmen off the board, Manley was fighting out of trouble.  The Hawks loaded the bases in the third inning before the righthander coaxed a pop out to right by SU first baseman Bryan Matthews to end the threat.
 
In the fifth, Shorter cut it to a 3-2 game on Riner's RBI single to center, scoring Charlie Gillis, who doubled to leadoff the frame.
 
DSU broke the game open in the sixth and forced Crosby from the mound with six runs on four hits to take a commanding 9-2 lead.  After a double by Ben Pickard and a single from Brent Langston, Will Robertson laced an RBI double to left-center for the first run of the inning.  Back-to-back hit batters plated the next run, including Benji Sullivan taking a fastball off the back of his left leg.  With the bases loaded, Chovanec and Hinton drew back-to-back RBI walks.  Herrington closed out the scoring with his third RBI of the contest on an RBI single to right.
 
The six runs seemed to allow Manley to settle in on the hill, as the Raymond, Miss., native retired 14 of the next 16 batters he faced, including four strikeouts. 
 
Delta State tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth to go up 10-2 on Landon Thibodeaux's RBI ground out to short.  Langton, who doubled to leadoff the inning, scored his second run of the game.
 
Manley (7-2) earned the win for the Statesmen after working 9.0 innings while allowing two runs on six hits.  He finished the game with two walks and nine strikeouts to pick up his seventh victory of the year and improved to 16-2 in his career.
 
Crosby (0-3) took the loss after surrendering nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits in 5.1 innings for the Hawks.  The junior walked three and struck out three in the outing. 
 
Shorter used four pitchers on the day, as Chad Felder (0.2), Zach Whitaker (2.0) and Brodie Orr (1.0) all appeared in relief.
 
Herrington led DSU with three RBIs on the afternoon after going 2-for-5 at the plate.  Hinton was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Robertson and Langston collected two hits each.
 
Gillis and Riner collected two hits each for the Hawks. 
 
The series is scheduled to conclude on Saturday with a doubleheader.  Game two's first pitch is slated for noon EDT.  Matt Jones and James Vallone will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network.