OXFORD, Ala. — The 2023 Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship continued Friday from Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., which saw Montevallo and Delta State avoided elimination while Lee and Valdosta State progressed in the winner’s bracket.
Day three of the tournament will resume Sunday at 10 am CT, with Shorter and Delta State facing off in an elimination game. Montevallo and West Florida will follow in a loser goes home scenario, while Lee and Valdosta State will close out the day.
All three games from Choccolocco Park will stream live on FloSports. For more information visit gscsports.org/bsb23.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
Montevallo 8, Alabama Huntsville 2
Montevallo plated six runners in the first and never looked back as it eliminated third-seeded Alabama Huntsville in the first game of the day. Asa Awbrey opened the scoring for UM with a RBI-single, before Evan Liddie belted a grand slam to make it 6-0. The Falcons then pushed a run across in the second and fifth.
The Charger bats struggled early recording one hit in the opening 10 at-bats. UAH evaded the shutout in the fourth with a RBI-single from from Brewer to make it 7-1. It then loaded the bases in the seventh and the ninth, but only produced one total run, with a RBI walk from Landon Ezzell in the seventh.
Lee 11, Shorter 6
The Flames used timely hitting to remain in the winner’s bracket as it outhit Shorter, 16-8, as seven different batter recording a hit, including five with two or more hits. Riley Black led the way as he went 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs and three RBI.
Lee opened the scoring with a three-run second, before the Hawks’ Norman Leon crossed home in the bottom half to make it 3-1. Shorter then tied the game in the fourth with a two-run double from Logan Stockt. The Flames regained the lead at 5-4 as Nate Byumn scored in the fifth.
Black then helped Lee stretch the advantage to 7-3 with a two-run in the seventh, following a RBI-double from Issac Quinones. Shorter trimmed the deficit in the home half with a two-run homer from Kobe Jones. In the eighth, Stockt again came through for the Hawks with another RBI, cutting the margin the one.
In the ninth, Lee pulled away with a solo home run from Brandon Daniels before Quinones made it 10-6 with a two-run shot.
Delta State 3, West Georgia 1
In the third game of the day, the Statesmen staved off elimination thanks in part to quality pitching as starter Drake Fontenot was credited with the win after surrendering one run on four hits in 5.1 innings. DSU reliever Steven Lacey closed out the contest working 3.2 scoreless innings.
Delta State scored in back-to-back innings as Eric Newsom drove in the opening run in the first, before Carson Clowers crossed home on an error in the second. West Georgia’s Henry Daniels then cut the deficit in half with a solo home run in the sixth. DSU then scored in the eighth on Tyler Woodcock-RBI.
Valdosta State 9, West Florida 6
Down 6-1 in the eighth, the Blazer bats exploded for eight run as they rallied for a 9-6 victory to remain in the winner’s bracket. JP Gates sparked the rally with a single to center to score David Crawford. Then with one out, VSU loaded the bases, which allowed Jacob Harper to cut the deficit to one with a three-run double to right. Hunter Stowe then pushed Harper across for the go-ahead run with a two-out single, to make it 7-6 as Bryson Gandy also scored on the play. Rally was then capped with a two-run homer from Crawford.
West Florida took control early scoring twice in the second before plating three in the fourth. The Argos then added one in the fifth to make it 6-0. UWF starter Major Posey was dealt a no-decision after tossing 7.0 quality innings with six strikeouts and allowed one run on three hits.