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April 16, 2016
 
CLEVELAND, Miss. – Things remain locked up atop the Gulf South Conference standings, as the No. 17-ranked University of West Florida baseball team and the No. 12 Delta State University Statesmen each took one game in Saturday's doubleheader. The Argonauts came out on top, 7-6, in a back-and-forth contest in Game 1, before the power-fueled Delta State lineup helped the Statesmen clinch Game 2 by a score of 6-3.
 
UWF now owns a 27-13 overall record with a 19-7 GSC mark. Delta State owns an identical GSC record and improves to 28-12 overall.
 
Game 1: West Florida 7, Delta State 6
 
The West Florida lineup was quick to set a tone against reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week Dalton Moats, as UWF scored a pair of runs in the first and added another in the second to jump out to an early 3-0 lead.
 
UWF starting pitcher Walker O'Connor started his outing with three scoreless frames, before Delta State was able to breakthrough with a two-run fourth inning.
 
After Nic Strasser scored on a fielding error by Statesmen third basemen Ethan Gill in the sixth, Delta State showed its muscle with a four-run sixth inning to take a 6-4 lead.
 
A huge sign of resiliency, the next half inning West Florida designated hitter Jimmy Redovian came through in the clutch by hitting a three-run, go-ahead home run—his third of the year—to push the Argonauts to a 7-6 lead.
 
O'Connor finished his outing with six earned runs and 10 hits allowed. His counterpart, Moats, was tagged for a personal season-high six earned runs and 14 hits en route to his third loss of the season.
 
Jarrod Petree earned his fourth win of the season, throwing 2.2 innings of shutout relief. Petree recorded one strikeout while allowing just three DSU hits.
 
Delta State was able to make some noise with two down in the home half of the ninth inning. After a walk, a single, and a hit by pitch, UWF closer Steve McClellan was able to record his sixth save of the year and halt Delta State's comeback attempt by getting DSU first basemen Colton Welch to foul out to Justin Ambrosino with the bases loaded.
 
Three Argonauts contributed three-hit performances in Game 1, including Ladeavon Matthews, Nick Kerkmann and Redovian. Kerkmann, Jean Figueroa and Ambrosino each recorded an RBI, while Redovian led the team in RBIs with his three-run long ball.
 
Game 2: Delta State 6, West Florida 3
 
In the tail end of the doubleheader, UWF faced a tough opposing pitcher in NCAA Division II wins leader Tre Hobbs. The Delta State bats were quick to support Hobbs by pushing across a run in the first and a run in the third to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
 
UWF responded immediately, as right fielder Ladeavon Matthews knotted the game back up at 2-2 with a hard-hit liner to centerfield in the fourth.
 
In the bottom of the fourth Delta State showcased its conference-best offense by hitting two home runs for three runs to create a 5-2 Statesmen lead.
 
West Florida was able to cut the lead slightly, as Justin Ambrosino recorded an RBI single to left field to score Alex Greene. Delta State added a run in the fifth to cap the scoring and secure DSU's 6-3 victory.
 
Starting pitcher Brandon Nagem surrendered five earned runs on six hits while striking out three and walking none over 3.2 innings pitched. Sean Kennedy threw 1.1 innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run, while Gray Dorsey pitched a scoreless inning of relief, allowing just one hit.
 
DSU's Hobbs was credited with his 10^th win of the season after pitching his nation-leading eighth complete game of the season.
 
Seven of nine Argonauts reached base in the setback. Alex Greene, Kyle Hamner and Ambrosino led the team with two hits apiece while Matthews led the team with 2 RBI. The Argonauts struck out just once in the contest—a new season-low for UWF.
 
Notes
 
In the doubleheader, Kyle Hamner, Ladeavon Matthews and Justin Ambrosino led the team with four hits each. Jimmy Redoivan's home run was one of two extra-base hits by the Argonauts on the day, with Alex Greene's double in Game 2 being the other.
 
Offensively, UWF held its own against DSU, as the Statesmen lead the GSC with a .345 batting team average. On the day, the Argonauts batted .352 as a team, while DSU was only slightly higher with a .354 team batting average.
 
In Game 1, UWF maintains its perfect record when leading after five innings, as the Argonauts are now 20-0 in that situation. The win marks as UWF's sixth comeback victory of the 2016 season.
 
UWF also maintains its perfect 18-0 record when scoring six or more runs after the 7-6 victory in Game 1. 
 
With his three-run home run in Game 1, Jimmy Redovian recorded his team-high fifth game-winning RBI of the season.
 
UWF relief pitcher Jarrod Petree lowered his season ERA to a bullpen-best 1.06 (4 ER/34 IP in 2016) after holding the Statesmen scoreless for 2.2 innings. Although Petree did allow two inherited runners to score in the sixth, they are the first inherited runners the redshirt junior has allowed to score this season.
 
West Florida looks to clinch its 10^th consecutive GSC series and gain sole possession of first place in the conference in tomorrow's rubber game against the Statesmen. First pitch from Ferriss Field is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start. JT Granat is scheduled to start on the mound for the Argonauts.
 
To stay updated on the UWF baseball team, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit GoArgos.com.