OXFORD, Ala.— Hunter Riggins tossed seven shutout innings to lead the No. 13/18 Delta State University baseball team (35-11) to a 10-0 win over Valdosta State (27-20) to open the Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship on Friday at Choccolooco Park.
 
Riggins struck out five while scattering six hits with no walks to earn his ninth win of the season.
 
Darek Sargent went 4-for-5 with a single, a double, a triple and one RBI and CJ Estave was 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Statesmen's season-high 18 hit attack. Hayden White went 3-for-4 with two RBIs followed by Brett Young with two hits and two RBIs.
 
THE BASICS
FINAL: #13/18 Delta State 10 | Valdosta State 0 (8 inn)
Date/Time: Fri., May 2019 | Start: 10:01 a.m.
Location: Choccolocco Park | Oxford, Ala.
Records: Statesmen 35-11| Blazers 27-20
Series: DSU leads 26-22

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Valdsota State threatened in the top of the first. Mark Hathcock singled and after stealing second was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Weber Herbison to end the inning.
• Delta State also had a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the first. Darek Sargent tripled with one out but was stranded at third after a pop out and a ground out ended the frame.
• The Statesmen took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Darek Sargent doubled to left field and came around on Estave's single to center.
• Three more runs crossed the plate to give the Statesmen a 4-0 lead in the fourth. Herbison and White singled to start the inning and David Herrington singled to load the bases with one out. Jake Barlow reached on a fielder's choice to score Herbison and Estave singled home White and Herrington.
• The lead grew to 6-0 in the fifth. Herbison had a one-out double and scored when Young legged out an infield hit with two outs. Sargent singled to center to bring home Young.
• Hayden White's two-run single scored Matt Majeur and Josh Russell push the lead to 8-0 in the sixth.
• Cole Morgan relieved Riggins, recording two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth innings.
• The Statesmen added two runs in the bottom of the eighth to end the game by the 10-run rule. Young doubled in pinch runner Luke Ketchum and Hayden scored when Herrington reached on a fielder's choice.

ON THE MOUND  

• Riggins (9-3) scattered six hits with five strikeouts and no walks over seven scoreless innings to pick up the win.
• Tristan Cone (4-1) gave up six runs on 13 hits with a walk and three strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched to suffer the loss for the Blazers.

NOTEABLES

• The Statesmen pounded out a season-high 18 hits eclipsing the previous mark of 14 accomplished five previous times.
• Six of the eight runs scored by the Statesmen were scored with two outs.
• The Statesmen have posted double-digit hits in five straight and in 9 of their last 11 games.
• Sargent fell a home run shy of the Statesmen's second cycle of the season, going 4-for-5 with a single, a double, a triple and one RBI.
• Estave was 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Statesmen's season-high 18 hit attack.
• White went 3-for-4 with two RBIs followed Young and Herbison two hits and two RBIs.
• Riggins posted ninth win of the season, tying teammate Dalton Minton atop the GSC statistics in wins.
• Head Coach Mike Kinnison earned win number 974 putting him 26s wins shy of 1,000.

UP NEXT

• Delta State advances to play the University of West Georgia on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.