Mississippi Valley State picked up its first SWAC win of the season this weekend with a thrilling 9–4 victory over the Bulldogs. Junior outfielder Gunner Lakins led the offensive charge, blasting two home runs, including a clutch two-run shot in the eighth inning to seal the win.

Freshman Logan Darnell got the start on the mound for the Delta Devils, delivering a solid outing with three innings pitched and just one run allowed. The bullpen held strong as James Rivera, Malik Kemp, Shuto Okumura, and Kai Hanasaki combined for six innings of relief to keep the Bulldogs' offense in check.

With the game tied 3–3 in the top of the eighth, Benny Hernandez sparked the rally with a leadoff walk. Mac Floydfollowed with a perfectly placed bunt single to load the bases. Eric Williams then lifted a sacrifice fly to give Valley the lead. Moments later, shortstop Kade Wood delivered the biggest blow of the inning—a bases-clearing triple to break the game open. Lakins capped off the explosive inning with his second home run of the day, bringing the crowd to its feet and putting the game out of reach.

With the win, the Delta Devils improve to 5–9 on the season. They'll travel to Southeast Louisiana on Wednesday for a midweek matchup at 3 p.m. on the SLU campus. SWAC play resumes Thursday at 4 p.m. when Valley hosts Alcorn State at Magnolia Field.