LAKELAND, Fla. The Delta State University baseball team, scored runs on 13 hits, and
Seth Birdsong struck out five and gave up two runs on one hit, in six innings, to lead No. 3 seed DSU (41-9) to a 13-3 win over No. 6 seed Mississippi College (33-16) in the opening game of the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament on Friday at Henley Field.
The game was a culmination of Thursday's game that was halted in the bottom of the seventh inning with the Statesmen leading 13-2 due to lightning and rain.
Score: #3/10 Delta State 13 | Mississippi College 3
Start: 9:00 a.m.| TOG: 2:54
Date/Time: Thurs, May 17, 2018 (Completed May 18th)
Location: Lakeland, Fla. | Henley Field
Records: Statesmen 41-9 | Choctaws 33-16
Series: The Statesmen lead the series 122-43-2 and are 9-5 under
Mike Kinnison
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Statesmen scored three runs on five hits, sending nine batters to the plate, in the first to build a quick 3-0 lead. Emil Ellis and Brian Lane singled and scored on RBI singles by Clay Casey and Juwan Burney. Casey scored on Nick Morgan's RBI single to right.
- Mississippi College got a run in the second to cut DSU's lead to 3-1, as Hunter Wilson doubled and scored on a double steal after moving to third on a groundout.
- The Choctaws scored an unearned run in the fourth to get within 3-2. Blain Crim reached on an error and later came home on a Hunter Wilson RBI groundout,
- Delta State plated four runs in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead. Josh Russell reached on an error, Justin Nussbaum was hit by a pitch and Jason Popovich reached on an infield single to load the bases. Ellis tripled to left field that would clear the bases when the MC left fielder was dazed after running into the fence. Ellis later scored on a Zack Shannon sac-fly to cap the scoring in the inning.
- The Green-and-White added two runs in the fifth to build the lead to 9-2. Morgan singled and advanced to second on a throwing error and to third on a wild pitch. Nussbaum singled to left center to score Morgan and scored on a Popovich single to center.
- Four more runs crossed the plate in the sixth to give the Statesmen a 13-2 lead. Casey walked and scored on a wild pitched. Burney reached on a fielder's choice and Morgan worked a walk before scored on a David Herrington pinch-hit single to right center and Nussbaum singled in Herrington.
- The Choctaws loaded the bases in the eighth but managed to score only a run to cut the lead to 13-3. Brandon Broussard singled and scored on a Kyle Smith sac-fly. DSU reliever Tyler Walton combined with second baseman Ellis for a 1-4-3 double play to end the threat.
ON THE MOUND
- Seth Birdsong (9-0) earned the win for DSU, yielding two runs, one earned, on one hit with five strikeouts against one walk over six innings.
- Chris Crosby (7-5) gave up nine runs, seven earned, on 11 hits with a strikeout to suffer the loss for MC.
NOTABLES
- The game was halted due to lightning and rain at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, before resuming at 9:45 a.m. on Friday.
- Birdsong notched his 19th career win and is just one away from moving into DSU's career top-10.
- Ellis went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and Nussbaum was 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Statesmen.
- Popovich went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Lane was 2-for-4 with a run scored.
- The Statesmen have scored double-figure runs 24 times and tallied double-digit hits 33 times in 50 games this season.
- Shannon's sac-fly in the in the fourth moved the senior to within five RBIs of tying Dee Haynes single-season RBI's mark of 92 and is two RBIs away from moving into a tie for fifth with Casey Myrick on DSU's career list.
UP NEXT
Delta State plays No. 2 Tampa at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Henley Field.
