ITTABENA, Miss. (Interstat) — The Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils outlasted the Jackson State Tigers 13-11 in a Southwestern Athletic Conference slugfest Saturday at Magnolia Field, evening the three-game series after dropping the opener.

Jackson State, now 20-23 overall, took an early lead but could not hold off a relentless Delta Devils offense that collected 17 hits. Mississippi Valley State improved to 12-32 with the win.

The Tigers struck first in the top of the second inning. After Diego Melendez walked, Ty doubled down the left-field line to drive him home. Shemar Harris then sacrificed Ty to third, and Asafa Jones singled to bring in Ty. Two batters later, Ty Reed homered to right field, scoring Jones and himself to push the lead to four runs. The rally gave Jackson State a 4-0 advantage.

Mississippi Valley State answered in the bottom half, scoring on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly, cutting the deficit to 4-2. But Jackson State extended its lead in the third when Melendez homered to left-center, making it 5-2.

The Delta Devils erupted in the bottom of the third. Tanner Aoki and Cody Leming singled, and Gabriel Huelsing doubled to score Aoki. Stephen Landaz followed with a two-run double, plating Huelsing and Leming to tie the game at 5-5. The inning ended with the score still tied.

Jackson State reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth. Harris walked, advanced on a bunt single by Jones and a bunt single by Reed, then scored on Robert Tate Jr.’s sacrifice fly. The Tigers led 6-5.

The game turned in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, a walk, a single and an error allowed three runs to score, giving Mississippi Valley State an 8-6 lead. Aoki then singled to center field, driving in two more runs, and the Delta Devils led 10-6.

The Tigers cut the margin in the top of the sixth, but the Delta Devils extended their lead in the bottom half. With two outs and runners on second and third, Kendall Brookins singled to right field, scoring two runs and giving Mississippi Valley State a 13-7 lead.

Jackson State mounted a furious comeback in the top of the seventh. Edwin Lemus Hudson Jr. doubled, and Melendez singled him home. Eric Torres then homered to right field, scoring Melendez and cutting the deficit to 13-10. The Tigers added a run in the ninth on a double by Payton Boines that scored Ty, making it 13-11, but the rally fell short when Matthew Cuzco entered for Mississippi Valley State and struck out Ty Reed to end the game.

Melendez finished three for four with a home run, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Reed was two for four with a home run and two RBIs. Torres went one for five with a home run and two RBIs. Kade Walker pitched three scoreless innings of relief for Jackson State, allowing no hits and one earned run while striking out five.

For Mississippi Valley State, Landaz was two for four with two RBIs. Brookins went two for three with two RBIs. Huelsing finished two for five with an RBI. Cuzco recorded one strikeout in one-third of an inning.

The two teams meet again Sunday in the series finale. Jackson State returns home to host Arkansas-Pine Bluff on May 14, while Mississippi Valley State travels to Prairie View on the same day.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Jackson State 6, Mississippi Valley State 2, and its ELO system gave the Tigers a 79.50 percent probability to win.