TOUGALOO, Miss. – With the score tied at 1-1 early, Tougaloo College scored in four straight innings as the Alcorn State University baseball fell 9-1 Wednesday at the James C. Coleman Athletic Complex.
With the loss, the Braves (6-14) split the home and away series with the Bulldogs (12-11).
Alcorn was led offensively by
Nicholas Hayes-Saltare, who batted 3-for-4 with a run scored. Brandon Barns went 2-for-4 in the DH spot and
Kasey Fillingame earned his first collegiate hit and RBI on a 1-for-4 effort. Defensively, Fillingame had six putouts with three assists and
Justin Barna had three with one assist.
Wallace Rios Jimenez contributed five with a pair of assists.
George Osborne III falls to 0-4 after getting tagged for four runs on as many hits and six walks. The freshman lefty recorded one strikeout against 21 batters in 4.0 complete innings.
Tyler Smith pitched the other 4.0, allowing five runs on six hits with five punch outs.
TC opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. After drawing a leadoff walk, a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt put a Bulldog runner on third with one away. Lige Mims, Jr., the host's pitcher, then singled to center. Alcorn answered in the next half inning as Hayes-Saltare reached first on a two-out hit to left. AJ Makarewicz got a base on balls and Fillingame found a hole through the left side to pull even.
The Bulldogs retook the lead with a run in the third. The leadoff hitter walked and stole second, then moved to third on a single to short. After Fillingame threw out the base runner trying to steal second, a Mims, Jr. ground out to third brought in the go-ahead run. Alcorn had an opportunity to respond as B. Barna and Hayes-Saltare hit back-to-back singles to start the fourth. The Braves couldn't take advantage, though, as Makarewicz popped up to second in shallow center field and Fillingame grounded into a double play.
In the bottom of the fourth, TC put runners on the corners with one down. The Bulldogs tried a squeeze with a sac bunt towards third, but Makarewicz and Fillingame caught the runner at third in a rundown. The good fortune was short live, however, as the next batter doubled to left to plate another run and a 3-1 advantage.
TC extended its lead with another run in the fifth, two in the sixth, and three more in the eighth. With Alcorn down to it final three outs, B. Barna and Hayes-Saltare replicated the fourth with a pair of leadoff singles.
Edward Jackson pinch hit for Makarewicz and reached on a fielder's choice as the Bulldogs got the lead runner out at third. Mims, Jr. then induced a pair of fly outs for the complete game decision.
The Braves are back in Lorman, Miss. this weekend as they host Jackson State for a three-game conference series at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium. The teams will play at 6 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.
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