The Lee University baseball team put a perfect ending to Military Appreciation Day at Larry Carpenter Stadium on Saturday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of visiting Delta State University with an exciting 6-5 victory. The Flames claimed Saturday’s opening game with a 17-2 seven-inning run-rule triumph.
Lee improved its lead in the Gulf South Conference standing to 21-6 and 34-12 overall. Delta State drops to 16-11, 25-19. The Flames will play a mid-week non-conference game at Young Harris College on Tuesday at 5 p.m. before moving onto West Florida to complete GSC regular season play and then begin tournament competition.
Game 1 – Lee 17, Delta State 2
The Flames put 15 runs on the scoreboard over the first three innings and did not allow the Statesmen a score until the fifth inning in the run-rule victory. All totaled, Lee had 17 hits and Keegan Gagliardo held the Delta State bats in check for seven innings. He allowed five hits and two earned runs and improved his record to 8-0 on the year.
Riley Black continued to swing the hot bat for the Flames. He knocked in five runs, four coming on a grand-slam homerun in the second inning. He also added a single and scored twice. JJ Williams followed with three hits, three RBI and three runs scored. Luke Collier joined in with a homerun. He finished the afternoon with two hits, including three runs scored and a pair of RBI.
Dylan Standifer joined in the hitting with three singles. He drove in three runs and scored once. Cam Suto had a two-base hit, a RBI and a run scored while Brantley Cutler was the other Flame with two hits. He also crossed home plate two times. All totaled, Lee had nine players hit safely in the contest. Brock Sisson came on as a pinch hitter, doubled and plated two runs. Brandon Daniels collected a two-base hit and joined in with Matthew Batts in scoring a pair of runs.
The Statesmen used five pitchers in the loss. Drake Fontenot (6-3) started but lasted only 2/3 of an inning. He gave up six hits and six earned runs. Delta State had five hits and it was Triston Hickman who posted the big hit of the game. He had a two-run homer in the fifth inning that scored Dylan Dendy who was the only Statesmen player to have two hits in the contest.
Game 2 – Lee 6, Delta State 5
It was an entirely different story in the nightcap. Delta State moved on top 1-0 in the first inning but Lee came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame.
The Flames tried to take control in the fourth inning when Williams reached on an error, Sisson singled and Josiah Miller ripped a homer over the scoreboard in right-centerfield. Cutler followed with a one-base hit. Standifer reached on an error and Suto’s single scored Cutler to make it a 5-1 game.
The lead reached 6-1 in the fifth inning. Black walked, Williams followed with a one-base hit and Black scored on a sac fly by Collier. The Statesmen came back in the sixth inning to make things extremely interesting and push the Flames to the limit.
Frankie Volkers was in control for the first five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth. Two other Lee pitchers, Ty Cobb and Cole Matthaidess were called on before Tim Gooden worked 1.1 innings and picked up his fifth save of the year.
The Delta State put four big runs on the board in the sixth inning and made it a 6-5 game. Hayden Cooper drove in a run with a double and Dylan Dandy followed with a base hit that plated two more runs. He later scored on a walk with the bases loaded. Gooden was called on to get the final out in the inning.
The Statesmen’s seventh inning began on a single by Wes Warnock. With two outs, Cooper picked up a one-base hit and Dendy intentionally walked to load the bases. Clay Cook was called on to pinch hit. His bunt went to Gooden, who fielded the ball and his throw to Suto at first base just barely beating Cook for the final out of the thrilling contest.
Delta State outhit the Flames 8-7 in the contest, but the Statesmen were guilty of two costly errors. Lee pitchers issued four walks and also hit three Delta State batters while the Statesmen pitchers issued only two walks in the contest. Delta State left seven runners on base and Lee five.