OXFORD, Ala. — The Delta State University baseball team saw its postseason opener slip away early, falling 9-3 to Lee on Friday evening at Choccolocco Park. The Statesmen move to 28-20 on the season and will face West Alabama in an elimination game Saturday morning.
Lee used a five-run second inning to seize control and never looked back. A combination of walks and timely hits fueled the rally, highlighted by a two-run double from Isaiah French and an RBI single from Braden Gabel.
Delta State struggled to answer early but broke through in the fourth inning.
Tucker Jones sparked the offense with a triple before
Walker Maranto drove him in with an RBI single to get the Statesmen on the board.
Maranto continued to lead the offensive effort, finishing with two hits and two RBIs. Jones added a multi-hit performance, scoring twice and swiping a base, while
Austin Batts also recorded a pair of hits.
On the mound,
Blake King was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs in the second inning.
Gavin McCoy provided relief, tossing 5.2 innings and striking out four, but Lee continued to add insurance runs throughout the contest.
The Statesmen showed life late, plating two runs in the eighth inning behind another RBI from Maranto and capitalizing on a passed ball, but the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Delta State will look to bounce back quickly as it faces West Alabama in an elimination game tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. at Choccolocco Park.
