CLEVELAND, Miss. — The Delta State University baseball team pulled off a dramatic walk-off victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Tuesday afternoon at Ferriss Field. The Statesmen scored three runs in the final two innings to erase a seven-run deficit and secure an 18-17 win.
Arkansas-Monticello jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Delta State responded quickly, with Jackson Hill igniting the offense. Hill finished with four hits, six runs scored, and helped pressure the Weevils by stealing four bases. The Statesmen took their first lead in the second inning when Lane Lang delivered a two-run single in a three-run frame.
The game turned into an offensive slugfest from there. The Weevils plated seven runs in the fifth inning to take an 11-4 lead. Delta State answered immediately, with Tyler Jones hitting a three-run home run in the bottom half, narrowing the deficit to 11-7. Logan Holliman followed with a three-run homer in the sixth, making it 11-10.
Arkansas-Monticello extended its lead with six runs in the seventh, but Delta State refused to give up. The Statesmen chipped away with three runs in the seventh and added two more in the eighth, pulling within 17-15 before the ninth inning. Reliever Ethan Akins kept the game within reach, tossing two scoreless innings and earning the win.
Trailing by two in the final inning, Delta State mounted its rally. Holliman and Hill reached base, setting the stage for pinch hitter Jack Palazzo. Palazzo delivered the game-winning, two-run walk-off single, completing the comeback. The final score was 18-17.
Offensively, Delta State finished with 18 runs on 18 hits. Hill led with four hits and six runs scored, while Lang drove in four runs with three hits. Jones added four hits and three RBIs, including his home run, and Holliman’s sixth-inning blast drove in three runs. The Statesmen also stole eight bases, applying pressure on the Arkansas-Monticello defense.
Delta State will carry this momentum into a three-game Gulf South Conference series against Union University on the road this weekend.
