GRAMBLING, La. – The Alcorn State University baseball program looked to be on its way to snapping a lengthy five-game losing streak with a 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the fifth. A seven-run fifth inning by Grambling gave the Tigers a lead it would never relinquish, as it held on to triumph 8-7.
Sophomore Jamey Fabre notched his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game of his career, driving in two runs on two hits. Junior Trey Covert also recorded his first career multiple hit performance, going 3-for-4 with a double.
Freshman Tristin Garcia tallied his team-high tenth multi-hit contest, including an RBI triple while coming around to score three times.
Junior reliever Joe Smith made easy work of the Tigers, tossing 3.1 shutout innings while giving up only one walk and one hit to keep the Braves within striking distance.
The Braves came out on fire from the first pitch, as junior Jordan McGowan singled, senior Kirt Cormier doubled and Garcia tripled in the inning to plate three first inning runs before most fans could settle into their seats. Grambling would get one back in the bottom portion but Alcorn led after one, 3-1.
Both sides went three-up three-down in the second before the Alcorn Braves pushed two more insurance runs across in the third on an error by the catcher to bump the advantage to 5-1 in favor of the visitors. The boys from Lorman were not done adding to its lead, when Fabre singled home Cormier to make it 6-1 going into the bottom of the fifth.
Disaster struck in the Tigers half of the fifth. After a pop-up and a weak groundout to second to get to two outs, ten Grambling hitters would reach base in a row, with six straight walks sprinkled in, to go from a five-run Braves lead to an 8-6 deficit.
Alcorn had a chance in the ninth inning down two, as Garcia scored to make it an 8-7 ballgame with two outs. The Braves had a chance for redemption but a flyout to center field with the bases loaded ended the contest as Alcorn dropped a heartbreak by an 8-7 final.
Redshirt sophomore Jacob Kieffer (0-3) got the loss, giving up three runs and five walks while failing to record an out.
Alcorn baseball sets its sights on its bitter rivals to the north as it heads up the Natchez Trace Parkway for a weekend series with Jackson State. Games will take place Friday through Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m., 3 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
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