RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The No. 19-ranked Arkansas Tech baseball team is off to a 2-0 start to their 2022 season after they picked up their second win in as many days, this time defeating Mississippi College by a score of 9-3 on Tuesday afternoon out at Baswell Field.
 
It did not take the Wonder Boys (2-0) long to get on the board as Kandon Bennett launched a leadoff homerun the opposite way out to right field. Two innings later, the Wonder Boys had their most productive turn at the plate scoring four runs on five hits.
 
Sam Stephenson, who was making his first collegiate start led off the inning with a single through the left side. Bennett matched Stephenson's single with one through the left side himself. Following an out in the next at-bat, Evan Hafley hammered a double to the base of the wall in right field, scoring Stephenson.
 
Josh Detweiler then switched places with Hafley as he hit a double to right as well, scoring Bennett. On Detweiler's double, Hafley took third where soon thereafter scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Trace Maddux. The final tally of the frame saw Detweiler score on a double by Shelby Quiggins.
 
An inning later, Tech grew their lead out to 6-0 on the strength of a no-doubt home run over the ATU Multisport Indoor Complex in left field off the bat of Ty Van Meter.
 
That run support by the Wonder Boys' bats early in the game was enjoyed by Shane Scott, who was making his first start of the season. Scott would end up pitching into the fifth scattering four hits, one run, walking one and striking out three.
 
The lone run scored off Scott by the Choctaws (1-3) came in the top of the fifth, but two runs by the Wonder Boys in the bottom of the frame pushed their lead out to seven. The first run in the bottom of the fifth was a RBI single by Quiggins that scored Maddux. The second saw Yadier Medina score on a bases loaded walk drawn by Bennett.
 
Each team scored a run in the sixth with Medina picking up a RBI on an infield single to short. The Choctaws added a run in the seventh to bring the score to its eventual final of 9-3.
 
Seeing action in relief were John Walsh, Jackson Sorey, Will Horton, Mason Griffin and Van Meter. All told, the six Wonder Boys arms combined for eight strikeouts.

The Wonder Boys will now prepare for their annual trip to the Houston Winter Invitational this coming weekend where they will face Augustana on Friday, Maryville on Saturday and St. Mary's on Sunday.