MOORHEAD – Hinds Community College baseball recorded their third series split of the 2022 season Saturday at Mississippi Delta Community College. The Eagles took game one by a score of 14-1 and fell 9-7 in the nightcap.
 
Game one
 
After Vantrel Reed (Vicksburg) was hit by a pitch, Josh Rodriguez (Belleville, NJ) doubled him in, and the Eagles took a 1-0 lead going into the bottom half of the first. This run would be the only one for the Eagles until the fourth inning.
 
On the mound for game one was Holland Townes (Ridgeland), who shined to achieve his third win of the season. Townes went the distance in the five inning game, giving up five hits and striking out four.
 
Townes held Delta scoreless until the third inning, where the Trojans hit a solo homerun to tie the game. That would be the only run that Townes would allow in the outing.
 
In the fourth inning, the Eagles bats exploded and scored nine runs. Cole Smith (Florence) doubled in Reed Kellum (Jackson) and Gavin Mink (Olive Branch) to start the scoring. Gentry Tigrett (Brandon) would then score Clayton Thurman (Vicksburg) on a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-1 in favor of Hinds. Reed then doubled to score Smith, Justin Williams (Madison) and Clay Benson (Monroe, La.). The final three runs of the inning came on a three-run shot by Kellum that scored Reed and Rodriguez.
 
After another scoreless frame from Townes, the Eagles bats got back to work, scoring their final four runs. Reed cashed in another RBI double that scored Smith and Tigrett to make the score 12-1. Then, Rodriguez singled in Williams and Reed.
 
Townes closed out the outing in the fifth to secure the 14-1 run-rule victory over the Trojans.
 
Game two
 
The Eagles looked for the sweep in game two but fell 9-4 after plating four runs in the first inning. The Trojans would use runs scored in the first, second, fourth and fifth to secure the game two victory.
 
Those four runs in the first inning came on a Clay Benson two-run homerun, a Reed Kellum triple and a fielder's choice off the bat of Gavin Mink.
 
Getting the start in game two was Justin Williams, who threw 2.0 innings and gave up three hits. Nasson Rodriguez (Madison), Mayson Shealy (Vicksburg) and Austin Fugler (Enterprise) all saw the mound in game two for the Eagles.
 
Up next
 
The Eagles will head to Summit on Tuesday, March 28 to take on Southwest Mississippi Communithy College. First pitch of the double-header is set for 3 p.m.