HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The Alcorn State University baseball program was unable to slow down the Bulldogs offensive attack as Alcorn dropped its SWAC opener 11-2 on Friday afternoon.
Freshman infielder Tristin Garcia and junior outfielder Travaris Cole had identical stat lines, driving in an RBI each and going two-for-four in the ballgame.
Junior Jordan McGowan, junior Brandon Rembert and sophomore Jamey Fabre accumulated the other three Braves hits.
Alcorn began the game on a positive note, with Garcia singling, senior Kirt Cormier drawing a walk and Cole subsequently driving in Garcia on a hot-shot single to give the Braves a 1-0 cushion in the first. Senior ace Carlos Lopez looked to be in peak form in the early going, rendering the Bulldogs hitless through two.
Things would go south in a hurry for the right-hander as five runners would come across in the bottom of the third, in large part to a bases clearing three-run double by Richard Polinsky, to give Alabama A&M a 5-1 advantage. Three more runs would widen the Bulldogs' margin to 8-1 over the next two subsequent innings to end Lopez's night following the top of the fifth.
The home nine tacked on two more runs in the sixth to open the game up to 10-1. Fabre ended a 12-batter hitting draught with a seeing-eye single to left with one down in the eighth before Tristin Garcia eventually laced a double to plate Fabre and get a run back at 10-2.
Alabama A&M added an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth and shutout the Braves in the ninth to pick up its first win of the season, dropping the purple and gold to 0-1 in conference play with an 11-2 victory.
Starting pitcher Carlos Lopez (0-1) got the loss, giving up eight runs (seven earned) and seven hits in five innings while striking out three. Senior reliever Tyler Smith worked the final three innings, allowing three runs (2 earned) and three hits, fanning three Bulldogs hitters in the process.
Alcorn baseball looks to get back on track Saturday afternoon when it will face Alabama A&M in the middle game of the series at 1 p.m.
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