CLINTON, Miss. --- The Mississippi College baseball team forced a doubleheader split on Saturday, Feb. 25 in Gulf South Conference action against Shorter University. The Choctaw (4-10, 2-4 GSC) blasted the Blue and White in the opener, 14-6, but fell short in the night cap, 1-0, as the Hawks (8-7, 4-2) clinched the series 2-1.
 
Caleb Reese and JT Vance provided a lot of the pop in the opening game as they both went 3-for-5 at the plate with two home runs each. Reese paced the squad with six RBI while Vance added four.  Beau Kirsch joined the duo in the multiple-hit category with two hits and Luis Alcantara added a pair of RBI to add to the multi-RBI performances.
 
Caleb Jacobs (1-0) logged his first win of the season with a strong, four innings in relief as he held the Hawks to no runs on two hits and three walks.
 
Both teams exchanged blows in the first two trips to the plate as SU held a 6-2 advantage through the first two frames, but it would be the only runs of the game for the Hawks the remainder of the way. Reese narrowed the gap in the bottom of the third with a three-run home run to left field. The Hawks clung to the one-run lead until Vance belted a two-run home run in the fifth. Bryce Capobianco plate the final run of the three-run frame with a single that pushed Jordan Rollins across the dish.
 
Vance added his second two-run blast in the sixth and the Choctaw added four more in the seventh headlined by Reese's second three-run homer to cap the scoring. Kirsch provided an RBI-single to right field to start the scoring in the seventh.
 
Seven Hawks took the bump in the first game of the twinbill as Coy Martin (0-1) encumbered the loss. He surrendered two runs – both earned – on two hits in just one inning in relief.
 
In the final game of the series, the Hawks plated the only run of the game in the second inning on a Tyler McWillie solo home run to center field. It was one of six hits in the game by the Blue and White, but was the only one that mattered.
 
MC struggled to find offense against Hawk hurler, Tanner Folds, who recorded his fourth win of the season in his third, complete-game performance. He limited the Choctaw bats to just two hits and only three other batters reached – all three on errors and fanned six. Vance and Cody Crifasi each recorded a single in the contest.
 
Gavin LeBlanc (0-3) received the loss in a strong performance in the start. He held to just five hits in five innings of work as he walked three and struck out three.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 28 as it continues its 11-game homestand against No. 3 Southern Arkansas University. First pitch is at 3 p.m.
  Read Full Article