UNC Asheville Too Much for Braves Baseball

JACKSON, Miss. – UNC Asheville received a powerful offensive game from Owen Michelson while Cooper Smith went the distance on the mound to help the Bulldogs stake an 8-2 win over Alcorn on Saturday afternoon in the day's opening game of day two action at the JSU Tournament hosted by Jackson State at Braddy Field in Jackson, Mississippi.
 
Alcorn (1-9) starting pitcher Kayden Sutton found himself in trouble in the top of the second inning when Bulldogs centerfielder Ben Green led off the frame with a triple to left. The Bulldogs opened the scoring on the ensuing play with Owen Michelson's RBI double to left to score Green and push his side ahead, 1-0. An RBI ground out from Tyler Parks plated Michelson to make it 2-0 midway through the inning.
 
The Bulldogs added a run to make it 3-0 in the third with Michelson's single back to Sutton on the mound, allowing Jake Minarik to score as the bags were full with two outs.
 
It would be the sixth inning when UNC Asheville put up a four-spot to wide then lead at 7-0, and chase Sutton from the bump.
 
Zeb Swangim laced a double to left that crossed Michelson, setting the stage for Yoni Castro to relieve Sutton for the Purple and Gold.
 
Castro was greeted rather rudely with back-to-back run-scoring singles courtesy Logan Lowe and Patrick Gillen, before a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Blaize Johnson plated Lowe for the final run of the Bulldogs at-bat.
 
Trailing 8-0 at the stretch, Alcorn broke through in the runs column in the bottom of the seventh as third baseman Kanious Davis was hit by a pitch to start. First baseman Cooper Harris stayed hot with a single to move Davis into scoring position at third. Davis eventually scored off the end of a Keaten Hawk double to make it 8-1.
 
Adrian Vallescorbo singled to right in the eighth to score second baseman Chase Moore and produce the final 8-2 score line.
 
Cooper Smith (1-0) collected the win in a complete game for UNC Asheville, allowing just two runs on nine hits and picking up six strikeouts against zero walks allowed. Sutton (0-2) was credited with the loss in working 5.1 innings, being tagged for six runs on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts. For the Braves, Castro worked the final 3.2 innings on the bump, allowing two runs on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts, respectfully.
 
Michelson finished the day 2-for-4 at the dish for the Bulldogs with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored.
 
For the Purple and Gold, Moore was 2 of 3 batting, adding a run scored. Harris' hit gave him a hit in four of his last five contests.
 
Alcorn finished up play on the weekend Sunday, March 1, when the Braves face off against in-state foe Mississippi Valley State at 2 p.m., back at Braddy Field in Jackson, Mississippi.
 
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