Box Score
SEARCY – Delta State junior right-hander Kenny Smalley allowed only four hits and set a career-high with 12 strikeouts to lead the 11th-ranked Statesmen to a 6-1 Gulf South Conference victory over Harding on Saturday at Jerry Moore Field. The teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader but played only one game due to inclement weather. The teams will meet for a doubleheader Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.
Delta State (24-8, 6-1 GSC) won its sixth consecutive game and 12th straight over Harding, dating to the 2004 season. Harding (17-15, 2-5 GSC) scored its only run on a solo home run by Aaron Roberts, his eighth of the season, in the eighth inning.
Smalley (5-2) pitched his third straight complete game, all in GSC action. He did not allow a hit until Bo Whitaker bounced a single up the middle with two outs in the fifth. Smalley surrendered back-to-back hits in the bottom of the ninth to Tyler Thompson and Whitaker but escaped by striking out Ryan Moody and Randall Hunt to end the game.
Delta State opened the scoring in the third inning when Jonathan Taylor lined a triple over the head of Roberts in centerfield to score Derek Norris. Taylor then scored on an infielder grounder.
The Statesmen added two more in the sixth on four hits and knocked out Bison starter Michael Skinner (2-3). Chris Clark had a run-scoring double and scored on Steven Oswald's single to center. Skinner allowed four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings and walked only one.
After Whitaker's single in the fifth, Moody and Hunt both walked to load the bases, but Smalley got out of the inning with a fly out to left by Zach Fisher.
Delta State added two runs in the ninth on an RBI single by Devin Goodwin and a run-scoring double by Clay Sartain off Harding reliever D.A. Kremer.
