CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Delta State University completed a three-game sweep of the Lee University baseball team in Gulf South Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Larry Carpenter Stadium (Olympic Field). After winning the first game 5-4 in 10 innings on Friday, the Statesmen posted a 9-3 victory in Saturday's opener and then came back to win the nightcap 9-8.
The Flames will return to non-conference action on Tuesday when they host the University of North Georgia in a single nine-inning game (3 p.m.). They will return to GSC play next Friday and Saturday, traveling to Huntsville and facing the University of Alabama in Huntsville in a three-game series.
Game 1 – Delta 9, Lee 3
The Statesmen jumped on top 7-1 with three runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth and never looked back in the victory. Blake King pitched 5.1 innings and was the winning pitcher. He allowed six hits and three earned runs, striking out four and walking three. Aiden McCrady pitched the final 3.2 frames, allowing just one hit, fanning three and walking two.
The visitors pounded out 13 hits. Austin Estes, hitting in the No. 9 hole, collected three hits, scored twice and picked up an RBI. Jacob Hill had a pair of hits and scored three times. Levi Lang doubled, singled, and pushed three runs across the dish. Walter Maranto and Stone Collier tallied two hits apiece.
Casen Youngblood was the only player with two of Lee's seven hits. Luke Collier, Cody Turner and Isaiah French had a hit and scored a run. French, Keilin Sanders and Braden Gabel knocked in runs for the Flames.
Lee used five pitchers in the loss. Gage Shaver started and was the loser. He pitched four innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs. Mason Bratcher, Cason Engert, Coates Massey and Landon Nease followed Shaver to the mound.
Game 2 – Delta 9, Lee 8
The final game of the three-game series went back and forth before the Statesmen scored two runs in the top of the seventh and then held the Flames scoreless in the bottom of the seven-inning contest.
Lee went on top 4-2, but Delta would not go down without a fight and put six big runs on the board in the top of the sixth inning and took a 7-4 lead. The Flames answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and looked to be able to win one of the three games with an 8-7 lead.
After the Statesmen had claimed the 9-8 lead, they called on the same player who had helped the team pull out the key win over the Flames on Friday evening. Dawson Muenzenmay came out of the bullpen and toed the rubber in the bottom of the seventh. The right-hander struck out the first two men he faced, gave up a one-base hit and then fanned the final out to touch off a celebration by his teammates.
Lee outhit Delta State 10-7 in the loss. JJ Williams hit his first home run of the year and knocked in three runs while also adding a one-base hit. Cody Turner had a double and a single. He scored a run and knocked in one. Isaiah French blasted his third home run of the year. Landon Franklin doubled, scored a run and collected an RBI while Luke Collier had a hit, an RBI and crossed the plate once. Ryan Valdes, Casen Youngblood and Keilin Sanders had a hit and a run.
Lee used five pitchers in the loss. Dylan Van Meeteren started and was pitching well until he developed a blister and had to leave the game. In two innings, he had given up two hits and two earned runs. Alex Brew came on for the next three innings and pitched well. The lefty surrendered two hits and one earned run. Tyler Pickens and Bryce Hawkins ran into trouble and it was Turner who was called on to try to save the day.
In one inning, Turner allowed two hits and was charged with the loss. The Statesmen also used five pitchers. Mason Shropshire pitched the first five innings. Alex McHale came on for two-thirds of an inning and found a way to pick up the win, but it was Muenzenmay who recorded the save.
Austin Estes was again the leader with two hits, two RBI and a run scored. Jacob Hill and Tucker Jones had a hit, RBI and a run scored. Bo Rock and Brady Hendrix had the other RBI while Hendrix also scored a run.
