MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball team splits with Mississippi College in their double-header on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Choctaws evened the series at 1-1 with an 8-6 win in game two of the series, but the Falcons won the series with a walk-off home run by Connor Crowson in the nightcap.
 
GAME ONE
Both teams went scoreless through the first two innings of the game. Gino Cozzi faced the minimum of six batters through the second inning. Montevallo exploded for a five-run bottom of the third as Logan Harbin drove home a run with a no out double into the left center gap. After a single from McGwire Turner, Harbin would score on a wild pitch. Turner would score on the next pitch with a double from Evan Radford. The Falcons loaded the bases with no outs, but only scored one from the opportunity as the Choctaws rolled a 6-4-3 double-play.
 
Now with a five-run lead, Cozzi went to work and fired a shutdown 1-2-3 inning in the fourth. He followed that up with his fifth consecutive scoreless inning as he got three fly outs from Mississippi College in the fifth. The Choctaws would crack the scoreboard in the sixth with a lead off solo shot to center. MC would get the next two batters aboard with two outs to knock out Cozzi. MC would tack on two more with a two RBI single. The Falcons would get out of the inning with a strikeout and a batter interference. Gino Cozzi pitched better than statistics would indicate as he had MC shutout going into the fifth inning. He struck out five.
 
The Choctaws tied the game in the seventh with two RBI singles. They took their first lead off the game in the top of the ninth as they scored three runs with two homers. In the Falcons half of the ninth, McGwire Turner would keep UM in the game with a solo blast to bring Montevallo within two. UM brought the tying run to the plate after a two out double by Radford. Mississippi College would get the final out of game two in the series with a fly out.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: #25 Montevallo 6 | Mississippi College 8
Records: Montevallo 8-5 (3-2 GSC) | Mississippi College 7-5 (3-2 GSC)
Location: Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
 
GAME TWO
Seth Gurr had a nice first inning as he worked around a one out single as he struck out the final two batters in the inning. Montevallo threatened in the bottom of the first as Harbin and Turner hit back-to-back singles. MC would roll 6-4-3 double-play to get out of the inning.
 
Just like the Falcons did in game one, Mississippi College put up a five spot with five runs on three hits. The Choctaws had a two-run shot and a three-run shot in the inning. Montevallo did a nice job bouncing back with a three-run bottom of the third as Jackson Webster and Landon Leake singled then advanced on a wild pitch to make it second and third with no out. A batter later, Daniel Irizarry singled to center to score both Webster and Leake. Irizarry moved up to second on a ground out then scored on a two out single up the middle off the bat of Connor Crowson.
 
After a 1-2-3 inning by Seth Gurr, the Falcons tied the game in the bottom of the third with a bases loaded hit by pitch by Ethan Huddleston and a sacrifice fly from Daniel Irizarry.
 
The Choctaw offensive got hot once again as they hit back-to-back home runs including a three-run homer and a solo homer. Now down 9-5, Montevallo scratched one across in the fifth as Huddleston drove home Webster on a single to left. The Falcons struck with two outs in the sixth as they scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-7 advantage MC. UM drew two walks to bring up Daniel Irizarry with two down. Irizarry would shoot a ball through the left side to score Preston Bedford and Payton Stephenson to tie the game.
 
Matthew Bullard was excellent out of the Falcon bullpen as he came on in the fifth. Bullard was nails as he shut down the Mississippi College offense as he went three innings with no hits, one walk, no runs and one strike out. He sat down the Choctaws in order to give the Falcons a chance for a walk-off in the seventh.
 
Connor Crowson stepped to the plate against the Choctaw pitcher who earned the win against the Falcons in the first game of the double-header. With a 2-1 count, Crowson lifted a towering shot over the right field wall and onto the lacrosse field to win the game for the Falcons.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: #25 Montevallo 10 | Mississippi College 9
Records: Montevallo 9-5 (4-2 GSC) | Mississippi College 7-6 (3-3 GSC)
Location: Kermit A. Johnson Field at Bob Riesener Stadium
 
GAME NOTES

• Matthew Bullard moves to 3-0 this season for the Falcons. Bullard now has six consecutive scoreless outings to start 2025.
• Connor Crowson hit his GSC-leading eighth home run of the season in walk-off fashion. This is the Falcons first walk-off win of the season and Crowson is tied for first in the GSC with 22 hits.
• With eight RBI this series, Daniel Irizarry is now third on the team with nine RBI.
• In game one of the double-header, Evan Radford had four hits which is the most by a Falcon this season. He ended with six hits for the series.
• McGwire Turner had a season-high three hits in game one of the double-header. His home run in the game marks the second time this season where he's hit homers in back-to-back games.
• Gino Cozzi had his third start this season where he's allowed three hits or less. He had the Choctaws shut out through five.

 
ON DECK
No. 25 Montevallo will take embark on a four-game road trip that starts in Americus, Georgia as they take on the Georgia Southwestern Hurricane on Tuesday, Feb. 25.