ROME, Ga. – The Shorter Hawks (1-1) took the field this afternoon for a doubleheader in conference play against Delta State (1-1). Taylor Boisclair took the mound making his Shorter debut against Delta State's Christian Day.
Game 1:
Shorter did not waste any time getting the offense going this afternoon behind a first-inning home run by Kaleeq Brannigan to take the lead 1-0 for the Hawks. Delta State answered with their solo shot in the third by Hyden White to tie it up 1-1. There were no power shortages in this game, as Brannigan answered back with his second home run. They were making it a 2-1 ball game in the fourth inning. Boisclair pitched brilliantly through the first five innings but ran into trouble in the sixth inning. Delta took the lead 5-2 in the sixth inning, and they did not give up the lead the rest of the game.
Delta State tacked three more runs, with the Hawks adding two themselves, making a final score of 8-4. A hard loss for Coach Timmons and the Hawks, as they look to regroup and try to take the series lead in the second game of the doubleheader.
Game 2:
The Shorter Hawks (2-1) took on Delta State (1-2) to conclude the weekend series Sunday afternoon. Ryan Parker took the mound for the Hawks, making his debut against Delta's Cooper Brune. This game did not take long for the offenses to get going, as Delta took a 2-0 lead in the first, including a solo shot from Kirkland Trahan. The Hawks were quickly retired in the first inning, allowing Delta to continue to pour it on in the second. Delta put up a five-spot in the second, with home runs being hit by Trahan (2nd of the day) and Derek Sargent increasing the
lead to 7-0. It started off looking like it would be a long weekend for the Hawks until Luis Acevedo sparked some life into the Hawks dugout with a solo home run!
Just like that, the Hawks came to life in game three. True freshman Jacob Pajer led things off for the Hawks in the bottom of the third, carrying the momentum. With bases loaded, Nathaniel Butterworth steps up and hits a two-run double to continue the Hawks' comeback, making the score 7-3. Acevedo steps up with bases loaded again and strokes a no-doubter over the scoreboard for a grand slam to make it a tied ball game 7-7! Just like that, it was game on between the Hawks and the Statesmen! The Hawks continued to pour it on in the fourth behind Butterworth and Corey Mason to add two more runs for the Hawks to take the lead 9-7.
The Hawks continued to grow their lead in the fifth inning, with the run being driven in by Don Frayer, Pajer, and a three-run home run from Bailey Gerstner, taking the lead to 14-7. The Statesmen tried rallying back but could only manage one more run in the top of the seventh, making it 14-8. The officiating crew called the game due to darkness in the eighth inning, which gave the Hawks the win over the Statesmen and gave Shorter the series win.
Coach Wes Timmons and the Hawks improved to 2-1 over the weekend as they look to improve on their season, as they take the fight on the road down to West Florida for a three-game series on February 13th and 14th.
