CLEVELAND, Miss. – The Montevallo baseball team secured its third consecutive Gulf South Conference series victory Friday, splitting a doubleheader against Delta State. The Falcons powered their way to a 13-8 win in the opener before falling 12-8 in the finale.

Game 1 | Montevallo 13, Delta State 8

Montevallo came out swinging and wasted no time setting the tone. Ian Cartwright led off the game with a home run to left—his fourth of the season—while Hollon Brock followed with an RBI single to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead after the first inning.

The Falcons added on in the second as Cartwright delivered again with an RBI single to left. Joel Chandler later scored on an errant throw into center field, extending the advantage.

Delta State answered with a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning, but Montevallo quickly responded in the third. Mason Woolever drove in a run with an RBI single before Cartwright capped the inning with a two-run base hit, helping the Falcons regain control. The Statesmen added a run in the bottom half, but Montevallo maintained the lead.

In the fifth, Chandler knocked in Hudson Allen with an RBI single to push the lead. After Delta State homered again, Caleb Karll answered with an RBI single to center, making it 9-5. The Statesmen managed one more run in the inning. Jack Fitzgerald made an immediate impact in his return from injury, launching a solo home run to center field to stretch the lead to 10-6 in the eighth.

Montevallo put the game away in the ninth, plating three runs on RBI doubles from Cartwright and McGwire Turner, along with an RBI single by Fitzgerald. Delta State added two in the bottom half, but Mitchell Rhodes induced a fly out to seal the 13-8 victory.

Game 2 | Montevallo 8, Delta State 12

The Falcons once again struck first in the nightcap. Hollon Brock opened the scoring in the second inning with a solo home run—his second of the series—before Hudson Allen followed two batters later with a solo shot to give Montevallo a 2-0 lead.

Delta State responded with a two-run homer in the third to even the score, but Montevallo answered in the fourth. Caleb Karll led off with a solo home run, and Allen added his second homer of the game to push the Falcons back in front, 4-2.

After the Statesmen took their first lead with a three-run fourth inning, Montevallo responded again in the fifth. McGwire Turner worked a walk ahead of Jack Fitzgerald, who blasted a two-run homer to center to reclaim a 6-5 advantage.

Delta State took control in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on walks and timely hitting to score four runs and move ahead 9-6. The Statesmen added three more in the sixth to extend their lead.

Montevallo continued to battle in the seventh. Ian Cartwright singled and Turner doubled to put runners in scoring position before Karll delivered a two-run double to cut the deficit to 12-8. The Falcons, however, were unable to complete the comeback.

NOTABLES

• Ian Cartwright paced the Falcons in Game 1 with four hits and five RBIs, including a home run and a double.
• Hudson Allen went 3-for-4 in the opener, scoring four times.
• Luke Holbrook earned the win in Game 1, striking out five over 5.0 innings.
• Mitchell Rhodes recorded his second save of the season.
• Montevallo hit five home runs in Game 2, highlighted by a two-homer performance from Allen.

UP NEXT: The Falcons hit the road Tuesday for a midweek matchup against AUM, with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

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