Baseball | 2/17/2019 7:56:00 PM

Braves Display Offense but Drop Two of Three at MLB Urban Invitational

Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score | Game Three Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – Producing 22 runs on 23 hits over three games, the Alcorn State University baseball program sandwiched a 10-9 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff between defeats to Prairie View A&M 10-3 and Southern 12-9 over the weekend at the MLB Urban Invitational.
 
Senior Brandon Barna led the Braves (1-2) at the plate with a .400 average and .500 on-base percentage. He was 4-for-10 with two walks, two runs scored and four RBI's. He's up to 78 hits in his career and needs 22 more to become the 48th student-athlete in program history to reach the 100-hit milestone.
 
Home runs were hit by senior Kirt Cormier and juniors Kyle Jenkins and Micah Walker. Cormier hit for a .300 average over the three games.
 
On the mound, junior Abdallah Salman picked up the win in game two after throwing 2.0 shutout innings of relief. He only allowed one hit.
 
It was the fourth year in a row that Alcorn opened the season at the MLB Urban Invitational where it now carries a 6-6 record.
 
The Braves will remain on the road Tuesday when they head to Nicholls State for a 6 p.m. first pitch. The two teams will do it again Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a two-game series.
 
Game One
PVAMU 10, Alcorn 3
The Braves got off to a strong start and scored two runs in their first at-bat. Junior Jordan McGowan walked to start it off, and freshman Tristin Garcia was hit by a pitch. The duo then advanced a base on a wild pitch. Cormier delivered a single to right which scored McGowan, and Garcia came around on an error by the catcher.
 
The Panthers got one back in the bottom of the second, but Alcorn answered with a run in the third to stay ahead 3-1. McGowan again led it off with a walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch. With one out, junior Travaris Cole grounded out but it scored the runner.
 
PVAMU slowly chipped away and score one in the fourth and another in the second to tie it 3-3 after five innings. Senior Carlos Lopez, a Preseason-All-Conference Second-Team selection, was then pulled with a no-decision after striking out six batters in 5.0 innings.
 
The Panthers got to the Braves bullpen with two runs in the sixth, and broke it open with four runs in the seventh to catapult ahead 9-3. PVAMU tacked on an insurance run in the eighth.
 
McGowan led Alcorn by reaching base three times. He went 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored.
 
PVAMU started Tracy Warren went 5.0 frames and was given a no-decision after striking out five. Tyler Laux entered in relief and tossed 4.0 no-hit frames to pick up the win.
 
Lopez's six strikeouts give him 178 in his career which is fifth all-time at Alcorn. He needs 42 more to break Steve Easter's mark of 219 set in 2012.
 
Game Two
Alcorn 10, UAPB 9
The go-ahead runs came via a three-run bomb by Jenkins in the seventh inning which broke a 7-7 tie, and the Braves were able to close it out for the victory.
 
For the second straight day, Alcorn plated a pair in its opening at-bat. McGowan reached on a walk and Cole was hit by a pitch to put a couple base runners on. With two outs, senior Barna delivered a double to left to score both runners and give the Braves an early 2-0 lead.
 
The Golden Lions answered with four runs in the second on four hits. The big blow was a double by Austin Toth which cleared the bases and scored three runs.
 
Alcorn got one back in the third to cut it 4-3. McGowan started it off with a single to center, and moved to second on a hit by Walker to left. Both runners advanced on a groundout, and McGowan touched home on a groundout by Cole.
 
The Braves tied it 4-4 in the fourth. Senior Brendly Martina singled to left and got to second on a passed ball. He scored on an RBI single to left by sophomore Jamey Fabre.
 
Alcorn took a 6-4 lead in the fifth. The team loaded the bases on a walk and a couple hit batters. An RBI groundout by Jenkins plated the first run, and Martina reached on a fielder's choice to score the second.
 
The back-and-forth battle continued in the bottom of the fifth when the Golden Lions regained the lead 7-6 with three runs. A double by Austin Krzeminski was good for two RBI's.
 
The game-changing at-bat came in the top of the seventh for Alcorn. Three consecutive singles by Cormier, Cole and Barna tied the game 7-7. With no outs, Jenkins cranked a home to right on a 3-1 pitch to give the Braves a 10-7 advantage.
 
The Golden Lions tried to claw back in it with two runs in the eighth. The two runs came on a passed ball and an error to make it 10-9 Alcorn.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, junior Austin Atwood set down UAPB in order which included a ground out and two fly outs. Atwood threw the final two innings to earn the save.
 
Senior Jose Fernandez made the start for Alcorn and was given a no-decision after throwing 5.0 innings. Salman registered the win after allowing just one hit in 2.0 scoreless innings. Carlos Benoit took the loos in relief for UAPB.
 
Barna went 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks, three RBI's and a run scored. Seven different Braves tallied a hit in the game. Martina, who didn't play in game one, extended his hitting-streak to five games and his on-base streak to 14 games from last year.
 
Game Three
Southern 12, Alcorn 9
The Braves held leads of 3-0, 5-3 and 7-6, but each time Alcorn scored the Jaguars would answer. The big inning for SU came in the sixth where it tallied four runs to leap ahead 10-6.
 
Cole and Barna notched two hits apiece. All nine of Alcorn's starters recorded at least one hit.
 
The Braves opened the scoring with three runs in the second. It started with an RBI single to left by junior Brandon Rembert, and sophomore Edward Jackson grounded out to score another. Freshman Jaden Smith got in on the action with an RBI hit to left to make it a 3-0 game.
 
After the Jaguars tied it 3-3 in the third, Alcorn jumped back ahead in the bottom half. Walker led it off with a homer to left on a 1-0 pitch. Cormier walked, moved to second on an error and to third on a wild pitch. He scored on another wild pitch.
 
SU scored three runs on two hits and an error in the fourth as the seesaw battled continued. The big hit was a two-RBI double to center by Coby Taylor.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Cormier hit a two-run homer to right field on the first pitch of his at-bat to put Alcorn back on top 7-6. It scored McGowan who reached on an error.
 
The Jaguars tied it in the fifth on a home run by Bobby Johnson, and pulled away with a big four-run sixth.
 
Alcorn scored one run in the seventh and another in the ninth as the bats continued to produce. The runs came on RBI ground outs by Jenkins and Barna.
 
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