MOBILE, Ala. – The Spring Hill College baseball team split a doubleheader this afternoon with visiting Delta State University to earn its first win of the season. In game one, the Badgers fell 10-5, but in the late game, Spring Hill picked up a 5-2 victory.
Spring Hill is now 1-6 on the season, while the Statesmen are 2-1.
The Badgers are back home on Tuesday when they face Auburn University Montgomery at 4 p.m.
Game1: Spring Hill 5, Delta State 10
Following a scoreless top of the first for Delta State, the Badgers wasted no time getting on the board when
Jordan Black hit his second home run of the series to make it 1-0 in the bottom half of the inning. The home run was his third of the season.
Both teams went scoreless in the second, and in the top of the third, Delta State tied the game at one off a pair of hits.
The Statesmen broke the tie in the top of the seventh when they took a 5-1 lead after using a walk, a hit by pitch, a sacrifice bunt, a sac-fly, and errors.
Delta State added five runs in the eighth to push its lead to 10-1 before the frame ended. The Badgers were able to get three of the runs back in their half of the inning to cut the lead to 10-4.
Spring Hill did not go quietly in the bottom of the ninth when it saw Jatneir Torres double home Black to cut the lead to 10-5, but a double play ball ended the rally and game.
Spring Hill starter
Wyatt Brown scattered five hits over six innings, allowing one run while striking out a game-high six. Reliever
Jonah Cook took the loss (0-1) after allowing three runs (two earned) in a third of an inning.
Black finished the game going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two walks, a home run, a double, and an RBI.
Gavin Moran tallied a pair of hits while teammates
David King and
Eli Benoit registered a pair of RBIs each.
Torres tallied the team's third extra-base hit in the form of a double.
Game 2: Spring Hill 5, Delta State 2 – 7 innings
Following a scoreless first inning for both teams, the Badgers grabbed the lead in the bottom of the second. Everything started when
Dee Brandon walked and then advanced to second off a wild pitch. A walk from
Andrew Juez and a
Weston Kirk's fielder's choice put runners on first and second. Brandon was thrown out at third on the play.
Robby Lopez loaded the bases full of Badgers following his walk. Jay McCant's two-run single plated both Kirk and Juez to put Spring Hill in front 2-0 before the frame ended.
Delta State got one of the runs back in the top of the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but Spring Hill answered when Juez blasted a two-run home run in the third to push the lead to 4-1.
The Statesmen added another run in the fourth make it a 4-2 lead, and so did the Badgers to push their lead to 5-2.
The Spring Hill pitching shut down Delta State in the final three innings to lock down the team's first win of the season.
Starter
Nathaniel Helton allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings of work. He fanned three in the process.
Reliever
Garrett Lott picked up his first save of the season as he struck out four over two innings.
Juez finished the game going 1-for-1 with two walks, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a home run.
Teammate McCants was 1-for2 with two RBIs, while
Ethan Davis finished with a home run and a run scored.
