Box Score Fort Worth, Texas-After being down 6-0 through the 3rd inning, the Alcorn State baseball team managed to rack up 3 plus runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to take game one of the SWAC Tournament 11-8 over Arkansas Pine-Bluff 11.
UAPB struck early in the second and third innings accumulating six runs off six hits to take a 6-0 lead.
The Braves finally got in the scoring column in the top of the fourth on a RBI groundout by
Cedric Walker to score
Christian Hickman to make the score 6-1.
Junior
Angel Polo recorded a career-high bringing in two of his five RBIs in the fifth inning on a double which scored
Justin Barney and
Angel Rosa.
Alvin Jackson hit a sacrifice fly to add to Braves 3-run inning to cut UAPB's lead to 6-4. UAPB added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to expand their lead to 8-4 heading to the sixth inning.
The Braves picked up the slack in the top of the seventh inning. Barney led off the inning with a single and Rosa reached on a passed ball. Polo stepped up to the plate once again and delivered on a 2RBI single. Senior second baseman,
Christian Hickman, hit a RBI single to left field to cut the lead to 8-7. But the Braves weren't done yet.
Junior
Josh Powell led off the eighth inning with a single putting the tying run on and two batters later, senior
Ryan Akins singled in Powell to tie the game at 8-8 putting the go ahead run on first. Barney, who went 4-5 in the game hit a RBI single to score Akins from third to give the Braves their first lead of the game, 9-8. Polo reached on a fielder's choice which scored senior
Ryant Piper from third on a play at the plate. The Braves would score again on a sacrifice fly by
Christian Hickman giving the Braves an 11-8 lead and enough damage was done for the Braves to escape with the win.
Ryan Fuentes came in to relieve
Mike Peters to pick up his first victory of the season (1-2). Barney recorded a career-high four hits and Polo had three hits to go along with his five RBIs. Hickman finished the game with two RBIs. Rosa scored three times and finished with two hits.
Up next for the Braves is a showdown with rival Jackson State who defeated Texas Southern 5-3. The Tigers finish the season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Division. This will be the first time the Braves and the Tigers face each other in the SWAC Tournament during the Barrett Rey era. First pitched is staged for 6 p.m.
