Alcorn Splits Pair Sunday with JSU

LORMAN, Miss. – A resumed game from Saturday ended in favor of the Alcorn State University baseball program 9-6, but Jackson State finished on top in the series finale 9-4 on Sunday at Willie "E" Rat McGowan Stadium.
 
Junior Wallace Rios Jimenez extended his on-base streak to 32 games. He recorded a hit in the resumed contest, and a walk in the later.
 
With Alcorn's (10-25, 6-12 SWAC) win over JSU (31-12, 17-4 SWAC), it snapped the Tigers 12-game winning-streak.
 
The contest was tied 5-5 yesterday in the middle of the sixth inning when play was halted due to inclement weather. After waiting an hour, the team's agreed to suspend play and pick it up Sunday.
 
Senior Walter Vives knocked in the game-winning run with two outs in the seventh inning on a single to left center. It scored Rios who walked and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Nicholas Hayes-Saltare.
 
Alcorn added three insurance runs in the eighth. It came after a pair of errors and an RBI single by Rios.
 
The Tigers tried to make it interesting in the ninth after plating a run and having the tying run on deck, but sophomore Conrado Skepple forced a pop-up in the infield to end the game.
 
Skepple threw 2.0 frames and earned his fifth save of the season. Senior Austin Willis-Greene was called upon to pitch in the seventh when the game started up again, and dialed up his second win of the year.
 
Mark Watson entered to begin the day for JSU and took the loss. Jonathan Aponte was the original starter and threw the initial 5.0 innings.
 
On Saturday, the Braves got on the board first on a hit by senior Kirt Cormier. It scored Hayes-Saltare from second after he doubled to left center.
 
Alcorn scored in the second inning on a home run by junior Der'Vincent Hamilton to left field. It was his second homer of the season.
 
The Braves leaped in front 3-1 in the third on an RBI double to left by Vives with two outs. It plated Hayes-Saltare who walked and stole second.
 
JSU responded with four runs in the fourth to go up 5-3, but Alcorn answered with a pair in the bottom half to knot it up 5-5. It came on a two-run bomb by senior Patrick McMahon to right field. It scored senior Justin Barna who walked to lead-off the frame.
 
Hayes-Saltare went three-for-three with two runs scored in the match. Barna and McMahon also notched multi-hit games.
 
"Fortunately we were able to scratch a few runs late in the game and close it out. It was a team effort by everybody and we're very happy to get the win," Alcorn head coach Bretton Richardson said between games. "We just want to compete in every game that we play in. It doesn't matter who or where we're playing, we want to compete and give ourselves opportunities to win."
 
Game two of the day was close most of the way until the Tigers broke it open with four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth to lead 9-1.
 
The Braves were down 2-0 in the fifth when junior Wilbert Malphus laced a ball into the gap in left-center and legged out a one-out triple. He scored after Rios reached on an error at second base.
 
Alcorn didn't go down easy and scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Jason Sanez was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third after a double to left-center by Barna. A single to left field scored Sanez, and Barna came around after an error at third. The Braves scored their final run when Hamilton was awarded home after a balk.
 
Barna posted his second multi-hit game of the day with two hits and his eighth of the year.
 
Sophomore Carlos Lopez got the start and struck out six in 7.0 innings. Miguel Yrigoyen grabbed the win for JSU after striking out eight in 8.1 frames.
 
"They just got the better of us in this game, but you have to tip your hat to JSU. Yrigoyen was able to keep us off stride with his off-speed stuff and got ahead in the counts," Richardson said. "We had a couple guys swing the bat well but we needed a whole lot more."
 
Alcorn will be back in action Tuesday when it travels to Southeastern Louisiana for a non-conference affair at 6 p.m.
 
#FearTheBrave