LORMAN, Miss. – The Alcorn State University baseball program was one out away from a win, but a two-run homer by Jackson State knotted the game at 10-10. The visitors then scored seven runs in the 10th inning to steal game one in the conference series Friday night at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium.
Holding onto a 10-8 lead heading into the ninth,
Razedrick Winters entered the game with an opportunity for the save. The senior out of Jackson, Miss. got the first Tigers (15-6, 7-3 SWAC) batter to ground out, but the next batter took a 2-2 pitch down the left field line for a double. After a pop-up to short, the runner reached third on a wild pitch and JSU pulled even on a two-run shot to left. The Braves (6-15, 1-6) had an opportunity to put the game away in the bottom of the frame with back-to-back one-out singles, but JSU forced extra innings with a strikeout and a foul out.
After consecutive walks to start the 10th,
Zachary Perez took over for Winters. A sacrifice bunt put runners in scoring position and Perez elected to give JSU's cleanup hitter a free pass to first. With the bases juiced, the Tigers drew back-to-back walks. A double to left-center brought in another pair before
Devin Walden dropped a sac fly to center. Another sac bunt, a throwing error, and a single pushed the visitor's lead to 17-10. JSU's defense then held on to seal the comeback win.
Brandon Barna was near perfect at the plate as the junior finished 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBIs, and a run scored. The Gulfport, Miss. native also led the Braves in the field with 13 putouts.
Hunter Wilson hit 3-for-5 with a double, 3 RBIs, two runs and a walk in the DH spot.
Wallace Rios Jimenez,
Justin Barna, and
Nicholas Hayes-Saltare also posted multi-hit games.
Kyle Jenkins batted just 1-for-4 on the night, but his one hit in the sixth inning left the stadium over the left field wall. The redshirt-sophomore catcher scored two runs with the RBI and had a couple bases on balls.
Winters (0-2) was handed the loss after getting tagged for four earned runs on two hits and a pair of walks in 1.0 inning of relief. Starter
Carlos Lopez went 8.0 innings, surrendering eight runs (four earned) on nine hits and three walks. The junior faced 40 different batters in 36 at bats, fanning four. Perez gave up five runs (three earned) on two hits and three walks.
JSU struck first with a run in the first, but Alcorn took over with four in the bottom half of the inning. With one down and runners on first and second, Wilson singled through the left side to pull even.
Der'Vincent Hamilton was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and B. Barna followed with a double down the left field line to plate a pair. Hayes-Saltare hit one up the middle for the 4-1 advantage.
The Tigers would close the gap 4-3 with two runs in the second, but the Braves answered again with three of their own. Rios Jimenez singled up the middle, moved up to second on a ground out, and took third on a failed pickoff attempt. He would then come in on a Wilson single to center, and Hamilton doubled down the left field line to put runners on second and third with two outs. A B. Barna single up the middle brought in the pair to make it 7-3.
JSU plated another two in the third and the two teams traded runs the rest of the way to set up the top of the ninth.
The teams are back for game two of the series Saturday with a 3 p.m. scheduled start. Fans are encouraged to show up in their purple gear as the game marks Alcorn's Purple Out.
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