CLINTON, Miss. – UWF baseball (16-9, 7-3 GSC) split its doubleheader Saturday at Mississippi College, winning the first game 15-4 before dropping the second 5-2.
"Mississippi College has got a good ballclub," said UWF head coach Mike Jeffcoat. "Their record indicates that. It's tough coming over here and getting rained out last night, and we don't get to play the third game to see who the better team is. We just split here, but we've got to get better and get ready to get right back on the road with Albany State this week."
Nic Strasser enjoyed another solid day at the plate, pacing the team in Game 1 with three hits, including a home run, and adding another hit in Game 2. With the split, the Argos and Choctaws (16-4, 8-3 GSC) remain in a tie for second in the GSC. Both teams now sit two games behind Delta State (19-2, 10-1 GSC) for the conference lead.
Game 1: UWF 15, Mississippi College 4
Reigning GSC Pitcher of the Week Dylan Mills-Derouen (3-0) got the start for the Argos in Game 1. He was tagged for three runs on two walks, a hit-by-pitch, an error and a single in the first. From there though, he settled in to allow just three hits and one run over the next five innings. He exited the game after the sixth, throwing 100 pitches in picking up his third straight win.
The Argo bats responded well to the early 3-0 hole. Matt Sullivan drove in the first UWF run of the day with an RBI double in the second. Robert Lopez soon followed with a two-run home run to equalize the score 3-3.
"We got down early. They got on us in the first inning," said Jeffcoat. "We were able to hit a couple home runs there to tie it back up and then started swinging the bats like we've been doing for the last couple weeks, and really swung it well."
It was Strasser's turn to go deep in the fourth. His solo shot gave UWF its first lead at 4-3. The team would add three in the fifth to take a 6-3 advantage. The Argos broke it open in the sixth, with Strasser picking up two more RBIs on a single and Nick Kerkmann getting in on the action with a two-RBI double. UWF would add five in the ninth to ice the win.
Brandon Harmon finished with two hits plus a run scored and an RBI. Kerkmann finished with three total driven in. Lopez finished with three hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. Eight of the nine spots in the order scored a run for UWF.
Chris Crosby, an alum of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College like Mills-Derouen, suffered the loss after surrendering six runs (six earned) on nine hits while pitching into the fifth. Josh Pahlad picked up the first save of his UWF career after throwing three scoreless innings to close the game.
UWF outhit Mississippi College 17-7. The 15 runs and 17 hits were both season-highs for the team in conference play.
Game 2: Mississippi College 5, UWF 2
Kirk Maddox got the start for the Argos in Game 2. He went four innings, giving up four runs (four earned) on seven hits. Mississippi College tagged him for three runs in the third, an inning highlighted by a two-run home run from Billy Cameron, to build an early 3-0 lead.
The Argos fought back in the fourth, scoring twice vs. Mississippi College starter Hunter Mullis. Sullivan and Matthew Jones each picked up an RBI in the inning.
Maddox (2-3) exited the game in the bottom of the fifth, replaced by relievers Avery Geyer and Tony Kucera. The Choctaws were able to plate one in the fifth (credited to Maddox) before getting to Alex Knight for an insurance run in the sixth. The Argos threatened in the seventh, boarding men on the corners before Ryan Lane was able to clinch his second save of the season.
Mullis (3-2) picked up the win after spinning six frames of four-hit, two-run ball. Both runs he surrendered were earned. The starter struck out four while walking one.
"We've talked pitching and defense," said Jeffcoat. "We've been getting away with an error or two in the games, but we've been able to swing the bats to overcome it. You're not going to continue doing that every game."
UWF will remain on the road this week, traveling to Albany State Tuesday and Wednesday before returning home Saturday to open a three-game series vs. Alabama Huntsville. Start time Tuesday at Albany State is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
For the latest information on the Argos, follow the team on Twitter @UWF_Baseball.
#ARGOS#
