CLEVELAND, Miss.-Host Delta State used timely hitting and strong pitching as they swept the Christian Brothers University Bucs 8-1 and 8-0 Saturday afternoon to remain in second place in the Gulf South Conference West Division.

In the first game, the Statesmen (21-11, 7-1 GSC West) scored in each of the first five innings as they took command quickly.

In the bottom of the first, DSU turned three singles into a 1-0 lead.  An inning later, a pair of one-out hit batters were followed by a three-run Michael Niemann homer, giving the Statesmen a four-run lead.  They added another run in the third on a walk, a single, and a sacrifice fly.

The Bucs (14-14-1, 0-7-1) got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning with three straight singles by Jimmy Franklin (Knoxville, Tenn./Powell HS), Rob Maxwell (Jackson, Tenn./North Side HS), and Lans Hardin (Keystone Heights, Fla./Keystone Heights HS).  A groundout and a double play ended the threat, and the Bucs never scored again.

DSU tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth on a single, a double, and an error.  They set the final margin in the fifth inning, scoring a run on a hit batter, a stolen base, and an RBI single.

Hardin carried the Bucs offensively in game one, accounting for three of their six hits as he went 3-for-4.  Franklin, Maxwell, and Aaron Short (Cleveland, Tenn./Cleveland HS) added one hit each.

DSU hurler Josh Branstetter held the Bucs to one run on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts in the complete game victory.

In the second game, the Statesmen did most of their damage in the second inning, scoring six runs on two walks, three siungles, a hit batter, and a three-base throwing error.  Jon Carnahan homered in the third to extend the lead to 7-0, and a pair of singles led to a sixth-inning run to set the final margin.

DSU hurler Brandon Hardin held the Bucs to just two hits, one from Aaron Smith (Lewisburg, Miss./Lewisburg HS) and one from Tyler Dunn (Bartlett, Tenn./Tipton-Rosemark Academy) as he tossed the shutout.

The Bucs and Statesmen meet again Sunday at 2 p.m. for the third game of the series.