OXFORD, Ala. | Baseball saw its season come to a close Friday afternoon, falling to Delta State 9-5 in the opening round of the Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship at Choccolocco Park.
The Chargers finish the 2026 campaign with a 21-24 overall record and a 16-17 mark in conference play.
Despite the final score, UAH delivered one of its biggest offensive moments of the season in the third inning, erupting for five runs to seize early control of the game.
Trailing 2-0 entering the frame, Jayce Upton sparked the rally with a leadoff double down the right field line. After a groundout moved him to third, Caleb Mahan reached on an infield error that allowed Upton to score the Chargers' first run. Seth Staggs followed by drawing a walk to put two runners on, setting the stage for Taylor Bush, who lined an RBI single through the left side to even the score at 2-2.
Moments later, Gavin Galenza delivered the biggest swing of the game for UAH, launching a three-run home run to left field to cap the five-run inning and give the Chargers a 5-2 advantage.
The Chargers carried that momentum into the middle innings, holding Delta State off the board in the third and fourth while maintaining a 5-2 lead. Jaxon Hay settled in out of the bullpen and kept the Statesmen at bay through the early portion of his outing.
Delta State, however, chipped away in the fifth inning, using a triple and double to score twice and cut the UAH lead to 5-4.
The turning point came in the seventh inning, when the Statesmen strung together a four-run frame to flip the game to take an 8-5 lead.
The Statesmen added one more run in the eighth inning to help starter Adrian Byrd pick up the win, who went the distance on 135 pitches.
Galenza led the Chargers offensively with a two-hit performance and three RBIs, highlighted by his third-inning home run. Bush added an RBI knock, while Upton and Braxton Griffin each recorded hits as part of UAH's seven-hit effort.
UAH's season ends following its appearance in the GSC Championship, marking the program's return to postseason play.
