Bulldogs open MACCC play with sweep

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast opened MACCC baseball play with two wins where the Bulldogs only used four pitchers and piled up 24 runs.

Gulf Coast beat Mississippi Delta 18-4 in seven innings in the first game then closed out the sweep with a 6-3 win.

"That team came in here last year and we split with them," Gulf Coast coach Bob Keller said. "We let down our guard, but this is a new year. We had two quality starts. That's a nice way to start."

Gulf Coast is 16-6 thanks to a pair of five-inning starts. Brandon Cain (So., Mobile, Ala./Baker) scattered six hits for the win in Game 1, while also picking up three of his own. Blake King (So., Petal/Petal) struck out eight in six-plus innings in the nightcap.

Charlie Keller (So., Mobile, Ala./Mobile Christian) led the offensive onslaught in the first game. He had a three-run homer that gave the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead in the third and added a double for another RBI.

"We got behind in the first game, but Charlie started the bleeding with a three-run homer," Bob Keller said. "When you look at the first five hitters, I think we had 10 hits. That was big."

Kaden Irving (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) had three hits, including a double, and six RBI. Jacob Palazzo (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) and Ty Mancha (So., Albuquerque, N.M./Mobile Christian) had two hits.

Aiden Seymour (Fr., D'Iberville/D'Iberville) pitched two innings of one-hit ball to close it out.

The Bulldogs got all the runs they needed in the first inning of the second game. Dom Jackson (Fr., Gulf Breeze, Fla./Gulf Breeze) had an RBI single, and Irving smacked a two-run double. Jayden Mark (So., Petal/Petal) scored another run on an infield single, and Keilon Parnell (Fr., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) plated the final run with a single to right.

Jackson had three hits, including a double. Parnell and Mark had two hits. Marc Stephens (So., Orange Beach, Ala./Gulf Shores) extended his hit streak to 14 games.

Adrian Byrd (So., Wiggins/Stone) struck out two in one inning of relief.

"When you get quality starts like that, you have more in the bullpen," Keller said. "You get better with your stuff at the end. We were able to bring Byrd in at the end."

Delta is now 6-10.

Gulf Coast is back at Perk on Wednesday when Copiah-Lincoln visits. First pitch in the doubleheader will be 3 p.m.

For more information on MGCCC's 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.