CLEVELAND, Miss. – The No. 18 ranked Delta State University baseball team (27-10) scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back, as the Statesmen notched their third-straight shutout with an 8-0 victory over the Delta Devils (6-17) of Mississippi Valley State University on Tuesday, April 9 at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Itta Bena, but rains forced the game to be moved to DSU.
 
C.J. Estave and Payton Lane both went 2-for-3 with two RBIs apiece to lead the Statesmen at the plate.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL: #18 Delta State 8 | Mississippi Valley State 0
Date/Time: Tues., April 9, 2019 | Start: 6 p.m.
Location: Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field
Records: Statesmen 27-10 | Delta Devils 6-17
Series: DSU leads series 87-16-1

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Statesmen loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning after David Herrington reached on an error and back-to-back walks were issued to Darek Sargent and Jake Barlow. C.J. Estave's double to right gave DSU its first two runs of the game. Payton Lane followed with a double to straight-away center to extend the lead to 4-0.
• DSU tacked on a run in the bottom of the third to take a 5-0 lead on MVSU, as Bradley Sanford's groundout scored Matthew Majeur from third.
• After the Statesmen loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth, a failed pickoff by Brandon Dawkins sailed down the rightfield line and allowed Sargent and Herrington to score on the error. The runs extended DSU's lead to 7-0.   
• Hayden White's pinch-hit RBI single to right put DSU 8-0 in the bottom of the sixth.            

ON THE MOUND

• Tedder, a junior from Vicksburg, made his first career start for the Statesmen. The 5-foot-11 left-handed pitcher tossed 2.1 innings while allowing no runs on a pair of hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
• Brandon Hawkins (0-1), a sophomore left-handed pitcher from Jacksonville, Ark., got the start for the Delta Devils. He worked 4.0innings. while giving up seven runs, four earned, on seven hits with a strikeout and four walks.
• Kris Peet came on in relief of Tedder in the top of the third. The junior from Olive Branch worked 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout.
• Cole Morgan, Matthew Sneed, who made his debut for the Statesmen in the sixth, Melvin Frazier, Patrick Hodges, and Tommy Childree also pitched in relief for the Statesmen.          

NOTEABLES

• The shutout was the third in a row for the Statesmen and the fourth in their last five games.
• Herbison entered Tuesday's game riding a five-game hitting streak and extended it to six games with an infield single in the third inning.   
• Herrington (12^th), Estave (5^th) and Lane (2^nd) collected multi-hit games for the Statesmen. Estave and Lane were both 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs apiece. Herrington was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
• Monday's meeting was the first this season between the two clubs. Delta State and MVSU are scheduled to play again on Tues., April 23 in Itta Bena.

UP NEXT

• The Statesmen host the Tigers of the University of West Alabama this Friday and Saturday, April 12-13 for Go. Green Weekend. Friday's series opener is set for 6 p.m. with Saturday's doubleheader slated for a 2 p.m. first pitch at Harvey Stadium-Ferriss Field. Matt Jones will have the call on the Statesmen Sports Network (WMJW 107.5 FM) and online at GoStatesmen.com.