OXFORD, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball team forces a winner-take-all Gulf South Conference Championship game with wins against West Florida and West Alabama on Tuesday, May 6.
 
GAME ONE
Zach Wyatt set the tone for the Falcons with a 1-2-3 top of the first including two ground outs and Wyatt's first strikeout of the game.
 
In the second inning, West Florida struck for two runs with a two RBI single up the middle. The Falcons fought back with three consecutive singles to start the bottom of the third from Payton Stephenson, Ethan Huddleston and Jacob Pearl. Connor Crowson hit a ground ball to the Argonauts shortstop who fired to second base with an errant throw allowing two Falcons to score.
 
With the game tied, Zach Wyatt began to settle in as he only allowed two base runners through the next three innings. Wyatt would give way to Mitchell Rhodes in the sixth inning. Rhodes would force the only batter he saw in the sixth to roll into a double-play to end the inning. Wyatt went 5.1 innings, allowed six hits, two earned runs and he would strike out two.
 
The scorching-hot Evan Radford led off the bottom of the sixth with his third home run of the GSC Tournament to give the Falcons a 3-2 lead. This would be Radford's 15^th homer of the season.
 
Now pitching with a lead, Mitchell Rhodes continued to pound the strike zone as he retired the Argonauts in order in the seventh with two pop ups and a strikeout. Rhodes would retire the lone batter he faced in the eighth, and would hand the ball to Garrett Sloan who finished the inning. Sloan wiggled out of a bases loaded, two out jam with a pop up to Logan Harbin at first.
 
For the second time in the game, Evan Radford would lead off an inning with a solo homer. Radford jumped all over a first pitch fastball and deposited it over the center field wall. This would be his 16^th long ball of the season.
 
In the top of the ninth, Garrett Sloan would notch his 11^th save of the season with a 1-2-3 inning to advance the Falcons to the GSC championship. Sloan is now tied for the single-season record in saves. The win was also Head Coach Chandler Rose's 400^th win of his career.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 8 Montevallo 4 | No. 3 West Florida 2
Records: Montevallo 28-24 (16-17 GSC) | West Florida 33-19 (22-11 GSC)
Location: Choccolocco Park (Oxford, AL) 
 
GAME TWO
Needing to beat West Alabama twice to secure the GSC Championship, Montevallo gained the early advantage with a two-run single off the bat of Logan Harbin. Harbin's single drove home Jacob pearl and McGwire Turner.
 
The Tigers responded with a sacrifice fly to cut the Falcon lead in half, and a two-out double to right center to tie the game. After both teams went scoreless in the second, West Alabama would take their first lead of the ballgame with an RBI-double down the right field line.
 
Montevallo would go back on top as Ethan Huddleston and Jacob Pearl hit back-to-back home runs on back-to-back pitches to give the Falcons the lead. The Falcons looked to extend the lead as Logan Harbin singled with two on, two out, but an unusual play at second ended the Falcon threat. Connor Crowson was back picked at second. McGwire Turner was unable to cross home plate before Crowson was tagged out, therefore, no runs were scored.
 
Now pitching with the lead, Montevallo ace, Adiel Melendez, began to settle in and get into a groove. In the bottom of the fourth, Melendez would punch out two consecutive batters to end the inning. The UM lead was extended in the fifth as McGwire Turner came up clutch with bases loaded, two outs. Turner laced a ball to center to score Luke Mitchell and Ian Cartwright.
 
Looking to capitalize on the momentum, Melendez fired a shutdown inning. The inning included two groundouts and Melendez's seventh strikeout of the ballgame. Logan Harbin was hit by a pitch with one out in the sixth. Harbin stole second and was brought home by an Ian Cartwright single up the middle.
 
Melendez, again, retired the side in the bottom of the sixth to extend retired batter streak to nine consecutive. The Falcons kept the foot on the gas with RBI from Evan Radford and Logan Harbin to push the UM lead to 9-3.
 
West Alabama got the lead off man aboard with a four-pitch walk in the seventh, but the Falcon defense rolled a perfect double-play on the next pitch to quickly end the Tiger threat. Melendez would end the inning with his ninth strikeout of the game.
 
Montevallo blew the gates open in the eighth with six runs on four hits. Two RBI doubles from Ian Cartwright and McGwire Turner and an RBI walk from Khalil Bell put the Tigers in danger of being run ruled.
 
Dylan Dickert and Sam Patrick would combine for the final three outs of the ballgame.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: No. 8 Montevallo 15 | No. 5 West Alabama 3
Records: Montevallo 29-24 (16-17 GSC) | West Alabama 31-23 (18-15 GSC)
Location: Choccolocco Park (Oxford, AL) 
 
GAME NOTES

• Zach Wyatt was excellent in game one as he picked up his second win of the season. Wyatt went 5.1 innings, allowed six hits, two earned runs and he struck out two.
• Evan Radford had a multi-homer game against West Florida where he hit his 15^th and 16^th long balls of the season. Radford has four home runs in the GSC Tournament.
• Payton Stephenson and Jacob Pearl had a multi-hit game against UWF.
• Mitchell Rhodes was perfect for the Falcons in his two-inning appearance against West Florida where he allowed no runs, not hits, no walks and he struck out one.
• Garrett Sloan notched his 11^th save of the season against UWF. He is now tied for the program record in saves in a single-season.
• Adiel Melendez moved in elite company in Montevallo program history as he is the fifth pitcher to win 10 games in a season and is one of three pitchers to have 100 or more strikeouts in a season. Melendez notched his fourth game this season with nine or more strikeouts.
• McGwire Turner was on base six times against West Alabama with four this and two walks. Turner drove in four RBI and scored three runs. This is Turner's fourth four hit game this season.
• Logan Harbin and Ian Cartwright had three hits and four RBI against West Alabama.
• Luke Mitchell and Jacob Pearl had multi-hit games against UWA. Pearl scored four runs which is his second time this season with four runs scored in a game.
• Dylan Dickert and Sam Patrick had scoreless appearances against West Alabama.
• Head Coach Chandler Rose earned his 400^th career win against West Florida.
• This is the most wins the Falcons have ever had in the GSC Tournament (4)

 
ON DECK
The Falcons will take on West Alabama in a winner-take-all championship tomorrow, May 7 at 2:00 p.m. CT. Montevallo is seeking their first GSC Championship in program history.