Braves Sweep Bulldogs In Wild Sunday Affair, 11-10

JACKSON, Miss. –  The Alcorn State University baseball program let a 9-3 lead slip away before using clutch hits by Brandon Rembert and Hunter Wilson to sweep Alabama A&M in a high-scoring thriller, 11-10.

The Braves (5-7, 3-3 SWAC) swept the Bulldogs in a three-game series for the first time since 2012.

Redshirt senior Hunter Wilson drove in the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the eighth to go along with a season-high five total bases on three hits, two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.

Senior Brandon Rembert came through when needed late in the contest, driving in the tying run before coming all the way around from first a few pitches later on Wilson's game-winning double down the right field line. His stat line was filled with twos; hits, RBI and runs scored.

Sophomore Tyler Daniels had the best offensive performance of his brief Braves career, going 4-for-4 with two RBI, three runs scored and reached base a fifth time courtesy of a walk.

Junior Jarius Colley picked up his first double of the season, a two-RBI ground-rule two-bagger to go along with scoring twice.

Sophomore Tristin Garcia had a sharp day at the plate as well, hitting 3-of-4 with two RBI and a run scored while also reaching on a hit by pitch.

Senior Joe Smith earned the victory (1-0), closing out the game with 2.2 strong innings and allowing only two hits and one run.

Alabama A&M (3-13, 3-3 SWAC) slugged its way to eight extra-base hits including five doubles, a triple and two home runs.

JanMikell Bastardo fell a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-5 with a double, triple and an RBI while scoring three times.

Brandon Moore and Kyle Redmond both went deep for the Bulldogs with Redmond's being a three-run jack off the scoreboard in left to tie the game at nine in the seventh.

Despite wearing the loss, Fernando Diaz Jr. (1-1) held down the fort, hurling 5.1 innings out of the pen with eight strikeouts.

Alcorn got the bats going from the get-go, using four consecutive singles followed by back-to-back sacrifice flies by senior Travaris Cole and redshirt senior Kyle Jenkins to jump out to a 3-0 lead after one.

AAMU pushed two across in the top of the third to close the gap to 3-2 but Colley smoked a ground-rule two-RBI double and Daniels poked a two-RBI single into right field in the bottom half to push the margin to 7-2 Braves.

The Bulldogs portion of the fourth saw the maroon and white get one back to make it 7-3 before both bats went into hibernation for the next two innings as the two sides reached on as many errors (2) as there were hits (2).

The boys from Lorman looked to have blown the game open in the sixth as Garcia rocketed a two-RBI single through a drawn-in infield to extend the advantage to 9-3.

The momentum that was all in the Braves favor following the sixth quickly evaporated when six Bulldogs crossed the plate in the top of the seventh, four via home runs, to knot the score at nine as the Braves watched its lead vanish.

After a quiet bottom half for Alcorn, Alabama A&M kept the positive vibes pointing squarely in its direction, as Dillon Roop dropped an RBI single into right field to give the visitors from Huntsville a 10-9 edge.

The bottom of the eighth started off inauspiciously with a strikeout but the Braves would not back down. A pair of singles by Daniels and Garcia set the stage for Rembert's seeing-eye single through the left side of the infield to tie the game at nine but a baserunning gaffe left Wilson at the dish and Rembert on first with two down. Wilson would not be denied however, as his double hugged the first base line as Rembert turned on the jets to score as the ball died by the foul pole as Alcorn seized the lead right back at 11-10 heading into the final frame.

Joe Smith, who had come on to stop the bleeding in the seventh, got the first man to go down swinging, issued a walk and then got a flyout to redshirt senior Jordan McGowan in center. Things got dicey in the next at-bat as a routine play turned error put both the tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position. Smith showed no panic, getting pinch-hitter Carter Duke to harmlessly pop out to shortstop as the Braves get a much needed sweep of AAMU, winning the finale 11-10.

The purple and gold will not play during the week, instead preparing for next weekend's showdown with the Alabama State Hornets in Montgomery. Friday's opener will start at 6 p.m.

 
NOTES

- Alcorn has dominated the all-time series with Alabama A&M, going 98-42 in 140 meetings. The Braves have now evened its record to 13-13 against the Bulldogs under Coach Richardson.

- The Braves piled up 14 hits and a season-high three doubles while topping the double-digit run threshold for the third time.
 
Quoting Alcorn head coach Bretton Richardson
 
Overall Statement
"I'm extremely proud of the guys for the way we played this weekend. We could've let this game get away but we hung in there and found a way to win. Great weekend by the guys."

#FearTheBrave