Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
ROME, Ga. - Delta State Baseball picked up the series victory by splitting the Saturday doubleheader versus the Shorter University Hawks; losing the first game 2-1, picking up the victory in the last game 9-7.

Game one saw Delta State avoid the shutout by scoring their lone run in the top of the ninth inning.  Landon Thibodeaux earned a one-out walk and advanced to second base when Jordan Chovanec walked two batters later.  Austin McClain came in to pinch run and was able to score after back-to-back hit batters.

Jonathan Moody (7-2) made the start, going 6.1 innings with four hits while surrendering a pair of runs and striking out five batters.  The Hawks scored the first run on a balk in the third inning before collecting the final run of the game in the home portion of the seventh inning as Dylan Riner scored on a Bryan Mathews single to left field.

The Statesmen managed just three hits while earning seven walks, three by Chovanec and a pair from Kasey Hinton.  DSU was aggressive on the base paths by swiping four bases as Chovanec, Dex Herrington, Carlos Leal, and Benji Sullivan each took advantage of the Hawks pitchers.

Game two had Drew Milligan pick up the start, lasting 3.1 innings before the Statesmen (30-9, 21-5 GSC) bullpen was called upon.

After Shorter scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, DSU cut the lead in half as Herrington picked up the RBI single to left field to score Chovanec from second base.

Shorter added two runs in the bottom of the fifth as Mathews connected for a solo home run and Jacob Forrest delivered and RBI single to score Ian Redetzky to move the score to 4-1.

Brent Langston picked up his second hit of the game in the sixth inning to score Hinton from second base, Hinton started the inning with a bunt single and moved to scoring position on a stolen base.  Will Robertson hit an opposite-field triple to score two runs to tie the game, 4-4.

Shorter (10-28, 7-17 GSC) took advantage of the Statesmen bullpen in the home sixth inning, scoring three runs on four hits to reestablish a three-run advantage heading to the final inning, 7-4.

Chovanec dropped a bunt down the third base line for a one-out hit.  Herrington was hit by a pitch in the following at bat before Marc McMillian delivered an RBI single to score Chovanec from second base.  Hunter Twitty was inserted as a pinch runner for McMillian and he would score, along with Herrington, on a Ben Pickard double to left-center field to tie the score at seven runs apiece.  Ricky Velez walked to put runners on first and second base before Robertson was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Juan Rivera, who entered the game as a defensive replacement a few innings earlier, connected with a 2-RBI single that scored Pickard and Velez for the final runs of the game giving the Statesmen a 9-7 lead.

Taylor Stark (2-1) was inserted in the bottom of the sixth inning took the mound looking to cement the come from behind victory.  Stark retired the first two Shorter batters with back-to-back strike outs, both looking, before a single to Dylan Riner brought the tying run to the plate.  Dustin Evans would fly out to right field to end the game and give the Statesmen the series victory.

Delta State will play a pair of mid-week games on Tuesday at Henderson State before wrapping up the season at home versus No. 2 West Florida, with a game on Friday, April 25 at Ferriss Field with first pitch set for 6 p.m. before a Saturday doubleheader.  The action on Saturday will begin at 1 p.m., with Senior Day festivities prior to the first game