CLEVELAND, Miss. — In one of the most thrilling games at Ferriss Field in recent memory, the Delta State University baseball team stormed back from multiple deficits and walked off the University of Arkansas-Monticello, 18–17, Tuesday afternoon in a high-scoring showdown.
The Statesmen improved to 6-2 on the season after erasing a seven-run deficit and scoring three runs over the final two innings to secure the dramatic victory.
Arkansas-Monticello jumped out early with two runs in the first inning, but Delta State quickly responded. Jackson Hill ignited the offense, scoring six runs and collecting four hits while stealing four bases. The Statesmen took their first lead in the second inning when Lane Lang delivered a two-run single to cap a three-run frame.
The contest turned into an offensive slugfest from there. The Weevils plated seven runs in the fifth inning to take an 11–4 lead, but Delta State answered immediately. Tyler Jones crushed a three-run home run in the bottom half of the inning, cutting the deficit to 11–7. In the sixth, Logan Holliman launched a three-run homer to bring the Statesmen within one, 11–10.
Arkansas-Monticello extended its lead again with six runs in the seventh, but Delta State refused to go away. The Statesmen chipped away with three runs in the bottom of the seventh and added two more in the eighth to pull within 17–15 heading into the final inning.
Reliever Ethan Akins kept the Statesmen within striking distance, tossing two scoreless innings and earning the win on the mound.
Trailing by two in the ninth, Delta State mounted its final rally. Holliman and Hill both reached base to set the stage for pinch hitter Jack Palazzo, who delivered the final blow with a two-run walk-off single to complete the comeback,
securing the walk-off victory. 18–17..
Offensively, Delta State finished with 18 runs on 18 hits. Hill led the way with four hits and six runs scored, while Lang drove in four runs on three hits. Jones added four hits and three RBIs, including his pivotal home run, and Holliman drove in three runs with his sixth-inning blast.
Delta State's aggressive base running proved critical, as the Statesmen stole eight bases and consistently pressured the Arkansas-Monticello defense.
The Statesmen will look to carry the momentum forward as they hit the road this weekend for a GSC three-game series against the Bulldogs from Union University.
