The Mississippi Valley State University baseball program scored just nine less runs in two games (31) than it did during the entire 2021 season combined (40), blowing both games open with 12 and nine run innings in games one and two respectively, to start off the Coach Stubbs era with a bang.
The Diamond Devils won its first two games since defeating Alcorn on April 26, 2019 (3-2), are now on its first winning streak since a three-game sweep of the Braves that same season and logged its first doubleheader sweep since defeating Jackson State by a combined total of 14-9 in April of 2018.
The Basics
- Final Score (Game 1): Mississippi Valley State 15 | Rust 3 (Seven Innings)
- Final Score (Game 2): Mississippi Valley State 16 | Rust 8 (Seven Innings)
- Records: Mississippi Valley State (2-0, 0-0 SWAC) | Rust (2-4-1, 0-0 A.I.I.)
- Location: Itta Bena, Mississippi – Magnolia Field
- Series History: N/A
- Winning Streak: N/A
Mississippi Valley State Top Performers (Game 1)
- The bats were not the only ones to shine brightly on Sunday as Calvin McClendon and Isaiah Valenzuela combined to allow just two earned runs (three total) and three hits while striking out six in game one as Valenzuela picked up his first career win.
- Game two in the pitching department was all about Abraham Ortiz, as the fire balling freshman shut down the Bearcats with three innings of nearly perfect baseball, whiffing four Rust hitters and surrendering zero runs plus a lone base hit.
- Ty Washington utilized his designated hitter role to his full advantage, being the only Devil to have multiple extra-base hits, going 4-for-7 (.571) with a pair of doubles, a sacrifice fly, three runs scored, and a tied for team-best five RBIs.
- Despite only registering four at-bats, Darrien Chapman made good use of his opportunities, driving in five runners as well on top of a 3-for-4 (.750) showing with a run scored and a stolen base before exiting with an injury.
- Davon Mims put an exclamation point on the dominating day in the final time up to the plate for MVSU, tattooing a pitch into the left field parking lot for his first career home run. He finished the two games with five runs scored to share the lead for Green and White plus three runs batted in.
- Jan Tolentino gets credit just for continuing to step to the plate as he was beaned three times in his only contest of the afternoon, scoring each time he reached with a steal and a walk for the record.
- Willie Johnson, the veteran leader of the clubhouse, had a 3-for-7 outing (.429) with three ribbies, a double, a free pass, and a run scored.
- Maury Weaver seemed like a blur on the basepaths, snagging four bags while motoring home for four times and batting .500 (3-for-6).
- Johnathan Yandrich reached in all three of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk as well as two stolen bases including a double steal of home.
- Among the other Delta Devils with solid showings were Christopher Soeder (2-for-5, 5 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB), Antonio Walker (2-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB), and leadoff man Narvin Booker (3-for-9, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB).
Notes
- Game two’s 14 hits were the most by a Valley baseball team since 2019 and the 16 runs was the highest total since an 18-8 victory over Tougaloo on February 27, 2016.
- Without knowing any better, fans might have thought the squad’s nickname was “Speed Demons” instead of Delta Devils as Valley had 11 stolen bases on the day while only getting caught once for a 91.7% success rate.
- MVSU also took its lumps in the batter’s box, being hit 15 times by errant pitches as the club will most likely spend most of the next day in the ice tubs.