CHARLESTON S.C. – Charleston Southern baseball picked up a pair of wins in the first twinbill of the season, taking game one 12-4 before Evan Truitt's strong outing to fuel a 5-0 victory in the night cap. The two wins Saturday marks three for three in the four-game set with Delaware State, as the Bucs will go for the series sweep Sunday at Nielsen Field.
 
GAME 1 | CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 12, DELAWARE STATE 4
Delaware State (0-3) had things going early, as a Mason Brewer single down the right field line in the second scored Krew Bouldin. The Hornets would get one more in the frame with an Alan Alonso single to bring Brewer around to score.
 
Charleston Southern (3-4) answered back in the third frame, Connor Carter would score Peyton Basler with a single to center. Ajay Sczepkowski would then give the Bucs a lead they would not relinquish with a two-run shot to left field, scoring Carter on the blast.  
 
The fourth frame would prove beneficial to the Bucs as well, as Austen Izzio would start the scoring picking up an RBI after getting hit with a pitch with the bases loaded. Sczepkowski would also add to his line with a sacrifice fly, scoring Rodriguez. Hogan McIntosh capped the frame off with a two-run single to left, scoring Basler and Izzio to put the Bucs up 7-2.
 
The Hornets would scratch one across in the fifth and one in the seventh as Jordan King singled to score Paige in the fifth and call his own number in the seventh with a solo shot, but that would be all Delaware State would be able to get in game one.
 
The Bucs would add insurance runs in the sixth and seventh after Krishna Raj got the home team out of a bases-loaded jam with just one out and the tying run at the plate, striking out two to pick up his first save on the year. Tyrell Brewer put the exclamation point in the sixth with a pinch-hit two-run shot to left, giving the Bucs the 12-3 advantage. 
 
Kaleb Hill (1-1) got the win for Charleston Southern, as he worked through four-and-a-third while giving up three earned on 10 hits and four strikeouts.
 
Delaware State starter Jordan Haddaway (0-1) gets credited with the loss after going three and being charged with six earned on just four hits and three walks.
 
GAME TWO | CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 5, DELAWARE STATE 0
The night cap saw a big opening frame from the Bucs, as Brewer manufactured a run on a wild pitch before Nicholas Fazzari was credited with a sacrifice fly, bringing Izzio across to score.
 
Charleston Southern would pick up two in the fifth, highlighted by a big pinch-hit RBI-single from the bat of Hayden Harris to score McIntosh. Basler would then draw a walk with the bases-loaded to push Fazzari across to score. Fazzari returned the favor in the sixth, scoring McIntosh with a double to deep right field to put the Bucs up 5-0.
 
Evan Truitt (1-1) was the highlight of the contest, as the freshman tossed 5.2 innings of scoreless ball after surrendering just three hits. The righty also collected eight punchouts out of 21 batters faced along the way en route to his first win on the bump for the Bucs.
 
Evan Harris (0-1) took the loss for the Hornets in game two, giving up two earned on three hits and three walks.
 
IN THE BOX
"Hard to argue two wins," said Head Coach Marc MacMillan. "I thought our pitchers were really good today highlighted by Evan Truitt's performance in game two. Offensively, we continue to make our at-bats count. I would like to see us play cleaner defensively as that is an area of the game that we can play at a high level every day."
 
UP NEXT
Head Coach Marc MacMillan's side will look to complete the four-game sweep of Delaware State Sunday, February 27, as first pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. at Nielsen Field.