CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Union University baseball team was swept in a three-game road series at #20 Delta State on Saturday and Sunday.
The Bulldogs dropped game one 17-0 before falling 12-11 in the back end of Saturday’s twin bill as a last-inning comeback bid sputtered just short. Game three tilted back to the Statesmen, who won 15-3. All three contests finished in seven innings.
DSU (11-3, 6-0 GSC), which leads the conference in runs allowed and is second in runs scored, tops the Gulf South standings and has won ten consecutively. The Statesmen are 9-0 inside Harvey Stadium. Union fell to 5-8 (1-4).
Eli Snelson, Elijah Ramsey, and Noah Toney took to the mound as Union’s weekend starters. Eli Jackson, Sam Galbraith, Briant Bazydlo, Ryan Evans, Chase Spears, Nathan Myers, Lane Evans, and Carter Daniel threw in relief.
The Bulldogs tallied just 11 hits in the series-10 of them singles. Grant Ross, with three free passes, a hit batsman, and two hits, reached base a half-dozen times.
The Delta State pitching staff is responsible for three of Union’s four games in which the Bulldogs have been restricted to five or fewer hits.
Union will begin a five-game homestand at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday by hosting the Lions of Freed-Hardeman (10-6). Mississippi College (7-6, 3-3 GSC) will visit on Friday and Saturday before Harding (11-1) visits Fesmire Field for a midweek competition on Tuesday, March 4.
Game 1: Delta State 17, Union 0
Delta State smothered Union with multiple runs in five of its six turns at bat, and the Statesmen out-hit the Bulldogs 14-2 in support of a super performance-six innings, one hit-by starter Drake Fontenot, whose ERA through 24.2 innings rests microscopically at 1.09.
Game 2: Delta State 12, Union 11
Union entered the seventh inning of game two trailing 12-3 and found itself halted a run short of a magical comeback. The Bulldogs needed nine runs in the final frame and produced eight between five walks, three hits, and a DSU error.
Union recorded just five hits in the contest but walked five times-Ross was the recipient of three-and benefited from five errors. Alec Hardy, Canyon Pace, and Matthew Autry, who hit a double, reached base twice.
Between hits, walks, and hit batsmen, 21 Statesmen reached in the middle game.
Game 3: Delta State 15, Union 3
Union claimed a 3-0 lead after a half-inning but wouldn’t score again in game three, and DSU won its second lopsided affair of the weekend by scoring eight runs in the fourth inning and three more in each of the following frames.
Delta State’s Christian Clayson was brilliant after he was called upon quickly for relief and worked 5.2 one-hit innings.
The Statesmen out-hit Union 13-4.
