CLEVELAND, Miss. - The Arkansas Tech baseball team picked up a big regional win on Tuesday afternoon as they run-ruled No. 12 Delta State, 14-4 in eight innings of a mid-week game on the road.
The Wonder Boys would get their offense going against the nationally-ranked Statesmen in the top of the second inning with a four-run frame. Two innings later, the Wonder Boys struck for six runs to take a 10-0 lead through four innings of play.
Simon Murray, who got the start on the mound, got things going in the second as he led off with a walk. The next two Wonder Boys were retired, but a walk to Brendyn Bard and a hit-by-pitch to Luke Ray extended the inning and loaded the bases. Grant Jones then cleared the bases with an opposite-field double to left. Two batters later, Jones scored on a RBI single through the right side by Tyler Sardelli.
The damage in the sixth started with Ashton Greenlee leading off as a pinch hitter and singling through the right side. Cole Dawson followed with a single through the left side. After a fielder's choice by Sardelli served as the first out, Christian Olea drove in the first run of the frame with a double down the right field line.
Murray then singled home Sardelli for the second run. In the next at-bat, Sawyer Duddleston drove in a pair on a single. On that play, Duddleston was able to get to third as he took second on the throw and then third on an error by the DSU pitcher. Kirby Jenkins then got in the fun with a RBI single that scored Duddleston. Two batters later, Jenkins scored the sixth and final run of the inning on a sac fly from Ray.
The lead would get a large as 11 for the Wonder Boys as they scored a single run in the fifth on a RBI single from Jenkins. Delta State would then go on to score the next three runs in the game with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Tech got those three runs back over the seventh and eighth innings on the strength of a pair of homers. Olea had the first big fly, hitting a solo shot to left in the seventh. Kolby Webb had the second as he belted a two-run shot to left. DSU was able to score a run in the eighth on a solo home run themselves, but it was not enough to avoid the 10-run rule.
The Wonder Boys will now look to carry their momentum over to the weekend where they will be on the road at East Central for a three-game series. The series is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Friday.
