LORMAN, Miss. – Senior centerfielder
Justin Barna notched two hits and two RBIs, including the game winner, and the Braves allowed no hits thru the final 2.1 innings as the Alcorn State University baseball program clinched the series 4-3 over Mississippi Valley State University Sunday afternoon at Rat McGowan Stadium.
This marked Barna's second multiple-hit and multiple-RBI outing of the season.
Alcorn (6-8, 2-1 SWAC) had five student-athletes record at least one hit. Junior first baseman
Kirt Cormier also concluded the contest with two hits.
Senior
Austin Willis-Greene tossed five scoreless innings and struck out five in the no decision. Junior
Razedrick Winters (2-0) picked up the win on 1.1 scoreless relief innings. He allowed no hits and struck out one. Sophomore
Conrado Skepple earned his second save in as many days on another perfect inning aided by one strikeout.
Barna's contributions began in the first as he ripped a single through the left side that scored junior second baseman
Wallace Rios Jimenez.
Junior shortstop
A.J. Makarewicz scored on a wild pitch in the fifth, and senior right fielder
Patrick McMahon plated Barna on a single through the right side in the sixth to put the Braves ahead 3-0.
MVSU (2-9, 1-5 SWAC) scratched three runs of its own in the top of the seventh. Arrington Smith hit a sacrifice fly to left field. Kevin Gonzalez then doubled to center, and pinch hitter Alex Bravo dropped a Texas leaguer in front of Barna in center.
Senior third baseman
Walter Vives reached with one out in the eighth on a fielding error by the Delta Devils shortstop. Cormier then singled to left to put runners on first and second. That's when Barna's single down the left-field line scored Vives, proving to be the game-winning run.
Alcorn has a quick turnaround as it travels to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to face the University of Arkansas in a two-game series, one each on Tuesday and Wednesday. First pitch on Tuesday is set for 3 p.m. CT.
#FearTheBrave
