CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Jake Barlow,
Josh Smeltzer, and
Hayden White combined for nine RBI to help the
Delta State University baseball team (17-11, 14-11 GSC) to a 14-5 win over Auburn University at Montgomery (14-12, 12-12 GSC) in game one of a doubleheader at Q.V. Lowe Field on Sunday.
The Warhawks scored six runs in the sixth and three in the seventh to erase a 3-2 deficit and take an 11-5 win in the nightcap.
THE BASICS
GAME 1 FINAL: Delta State 14 | Auburn-Montgomery 5
GAME 2 FINAL: Auburn-Montgomery 11 | Delta State 5
DATE/TIME: Sunday, April 11, 2021
GAME 1 START: 1 p.m. |
TOG: 2:59
GAME 2 START: 4:30 p.m. |
TOG: 3:35
LOCATION: AUM Baseball Complex | Montgomery, Ala.
RECORDS: Statesmen: 17-11, 14-11 GSC | Warhawks 15-13, 13-13 GSC
SERIES: Delta State leads 7-2
HOW IT HAPPENED | GM 1
- The Statesmen took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Darek Sargent doubled and scored from third on a wild pitch.
- Three runs on five hits came across in the third to make it 4-0. Josh Smeltzer belted a home run to left field with one out. Jake Barlow doubled and scored on a Kade Dees two-out single before Dees scored on a Chad Ragland RBI single.
- AUM got on the board in the fifth to trim the DSU lead to 4-1. Grayson Blackwell was hit by a pitch and scored on a Joseph Hartsfield single.
- Delta State answered the AUM run in the sixth. Ragland singled and after stealing second, scored on a Hayden White single.
- Zach Feaster had an RBI single, and Blackwell hit a three-run home run to tie the game 5-5 in the sixth.
- The Statesmen took a 7-5 in the seventh. Smeltzer drew a leadoff walk and came home when Barlow belted a home run to left field.
- Delta State plated five runs to take a 12-5 lead in the eighth. Kirkland Trahan was hit by a pitch and scored on a Smeltzer single and Trahan scored on a Barlow home run to left field. White delivered a two-RBI single to left with the bases loaded to plate the final two runs of the inning.
- Kade Dees drove in Smeltzer and Blake Dendy to give the Statesmen a 14-5 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
ON THE MOUND | GM 1
- Hunter Riggins (5-3) worked seven innings, allowing five runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts to earn the win.
- Tyler Britton (0-1) gave up two runs on one hit while walking two to suffer the loss for AUM.
- Charles Darnall tossed two scoreless innings with a strikeout to close the game for the Statesmen.
HOW IT HAPPENED | GM 2
- Quinterrious Arrington reached on an error and scored on a Feaster single to help AUM take a 1-0 lead in the first.
- The Statesmen put up two runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Barlow reached on an error, Dendy walked and Donovan Shows singled to load the bases with no outs. Barlow scored when Sargent reached on a fielder's choice and Dendy came home on a Ragland sac-fly.
- Trahan led off the third with a double and scored on a Barlow single to push the advantage to 3-1.
- Ethan Wells started the fourth with a double and scored when Mario Galloway's single was misplayed in the outfield to trim DSU's lead to 3-2.
- AUM scored six runs in the sixth to take an 8-3 lead. Galloway singled to tie the game 3-3 followed by an RBI single from Blackwell and an Arrington two-run single and Jackson Ceman RBI double. A Feaster RBI single plated the final run of the inning.
- The Warhawks' lead grew to 11-3 in the seventh. Arrington tripled home two runs and Ceman had an RBI double.
- Delta State scored twice to trail 11-5. Dendy and Shows singled to start the inning. Dendy scored when Ragland reached on a fielder's choice and Shows scored on a White double.
- The Statesmen did load the bases with two outs only to have reliever Jax Morris get a strikeout to end the threat.
ON THE MOUND | GM 2
- Josh Lewis (0-1) yielded five runs, two earned, on six hits with a strikeout in six innings pitched to suffer the loss.
- Hunter Viets (3-5) picked up the win, giving up three runs, one earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Green-and-White turned two double plays in game one to increase the season total to 27. DSU ranks second in the GSC and third in the NCAA in double plays turned.
- The 19 hits in game one was the second highest hit total in a game this season, two hits shy of the season-high of 21.
- Barlow went 7-for 10 with two home runs, two doubles and five RBI in the doubleheader. The junior was 5-for-6 with two home runs, a double and four RBI and 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in game two.
- Smeltzer went 4-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.
- White finished with a pair of hits and three RBI in the opening game.
- The Statesmen belted three home runs in game one, ranking second in the GSC with 35.
- Trahan went 2-for-4 with two doubles while Shows 2-for-4 with a run scored in the nightcap.
- Galloway went 3-for-5 with two RBI and Arrington was 2-for-5 with four RBI for AUM in game two.
UP NEXT
Delta State and Auburn-Montgomery close out the series with a single game on Monday at 1 p.m. at Q.V. Lowe Field.