Alva Review-Courier -

CLEVELAND, Miss. – Trailing 8-3 heading into the top of the ninth, the Southern Arkansas baseball team plated a run and threatened to tie the game with the bases loaded and one out, but former conference foe, Delta State staved off the rally to hold on for an 8-4 win in non-conference action on Wednesday night.

TEAM RECORDS

Southern Arkansas Muleriders (6-4)

Delta State Statesmen (8-2)

PITCHING DECISIONS

W – Brady Chambley (1-0)

L – Eric Schildt (0-2)

S – NONE

HOW IT HAPPENED

Delta State found the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. The initial run that half was a solo homerun and two batters later the Statesmen collected the second run on single through the left side.

The Muleriders answered back in the top of the second inning with a run to make it a 2-1 game. In that inning, Cory Gallegos led off with a single up the middle and three batters later, he scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Josey Langston. On that same play, James Trevanion was cut down at the plate to end the inning as he was trying to score after the back half of the potential 4-6-3 double play on the fielder's choice went awry.

Still a 2-1 game, the Statesmen began to pull away in the third, plating four runs on seven hits in the inning. That inning began with a leadoff single but a 6-4-3 double play erased that initial base runner. The next six Statesmen then reached base, helping push across the four runs.

Now a 6-1 game, SAU struck for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to make it a 6-3 game, but a single run by the Statesmen in the bottom half cushioned the lead to four runs, 7-3. In the SAU half, Jacob Richardson got things going with a one-out single. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Richardson scored as Gallegos reached base on a throwing error by the DSU second baseman. Two batters later, Gallegos scored as well as Trevanion singled to left-centerfield.

In the bottom of the eighth, Delta State added one more run of insurance and carried an 8-3 advantage into the top of the ninth.

In that frame, SAU applied some pressure by taking advantage of some Statesmen miscues. After a leadoff strikeout, Delta State committed consecutive errors, leading to the Muleriders fourth run of the game. Following those two errors, Blake Hall and Trevor Rucker singled consecutively to load the bases and bring the potential tying run to the plate with one out and the middle of the order to bat.

Statesmen reliever Zack Shannon pitched out of the jam, however, striking out the next two batters to end the game.

ON THE MOUND

Eric Schildt got the start for the Muleriders and suffered the loss after 2.2 innings of work.

Junior left-hander Pake Montgomery made his first appearance of the season and worked 3.2 innings of relief. Montgomery scattered three hits, allowed one run and struck out two batters.

Jon Mahanay and Makenzy Larsen combined for the final 1.2 innings on the mound

AT THE PLATE

The Mulerders had eight hits as a team with none going for extra bases. Josey Langston and Trevor each had two hits to pace the club and Langston also had one of SAU's three RBIs in the game

ON DECK

The Muleriders will now prepare to play in front of a home crowd for the first time this season as they welcome in East Central for a three-game Great American Conference series starting at 6 p.m. on Friday night at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field.