Baseball Takes Doubleheader from Champion Christian

LORMAN, Miss. – Alcorn Baseball swept both legs of a nonconference doubleheader on Tuesday, as the Braves defeated visiting Champion Christian at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi. The Braves took the opening game 10-4, before returning for a come-from-behind 11-10 walk-off win in the nightcap. Both games were played as seven-inning contests, originally scheduled between the two head coaches beforehand.
 
GAME ONE: ALCORN 10, CHAMPION CHRISTIAN 4
Cooper Harris drove in four runs and Jamir Hollway scored three times as Alcorn erased an early deficit with a four-run third inning and never looked back, defeating Champion Christian 10-4 Tuesday afternoon at McGowan Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
Harris, the Braves' first baseman, went 2-for-4 and delivered the decisive blow of the third inning – a two-run single to center field that pushed Alcorn (4-16) ahead 4-1 after Champion Christian grabbed the lead in the top-half of the frame. He added two more RBIs in the sixth with another single through the middle, finishing the day as the game's most productive bat for the Purple and Gold.
 
Second baseman Jaylyn Bennett added a double and a triple, knocking in two runs, while third baseman Jamir Hollway reached base three times and finished 3-for-3 with a stolen base.
 
Champion Christian's Ayden Morgan was a steady source of offense for the Tigers, going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, two stolen bases and a double. The shortstop accounted for all of his team's scoring chances in meaningful fashion, driving in runs in the third, fifth and seventh innings, respectively.
 
Champion Christian (10-11) left 10 runners on base throughout.
 
Braves starting pitcher Kanious Davis earned the win, striking out nine batters over four innings while allowing just one earned run. Davis (2-1) scattered seven hits and walked three, but his strikeout total kept the Tigers from mounting any sustained threat.
 
Eric Abbott took the loss for Champion Christian, surrendering six earned runs on seven hits over four innings, including two hit batters. Abbott falls to 2-3 on the season. Reliever Bryce Lajuanie allowed three earned runs in two innings of relief.
 
Champion Christian drew first blood in the top of the third when Morgan singled home left fielder Caden Shryock to make it 1-0. The Braves answered immediately in the bottom half, scoring four times – capped by Harris's two-run single – to take a 4-1 advantage they would never relinquish.
 
Alcorn would add runs in four of the six innings they batted, including a three-run sixth that put the game out of reach at 10-3. Henry Allred and Caden Wade combined to finish the final three innings on the bump out of the bullpen for the Purple and Gold.
 
Bennett, Harris and right fielder Keaten Hawk each recorded a multi-hit outing, as well as Hollway's three-hit afternoon.
 
GAME TWO: ALCORN 11, CHAMPION CHRISTIAN 10
Alcorn erased a six-run deficit and scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to complete a stunning comeback, defeating Champion Christian 11-10 Tuesday evening at McGowan Stadium and sweeping the doubleheader.
 
Alcorn (5-16) trailed 6-0 after two innings and 10-8 heading into the final frame before rallying for three runs – the last coming on a fielding error by Champion Christian shortstop Michael Sullivan with the bases loaded – to walk off with the victory.
 
First baseman Cooper Harris was Alcorn's most productive bat, going 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs, a sacrifice fly and two runs scored. Chase Moore went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and scored twice from his shortstop position on the field, while substitute and game one pitching starter Kanious Davis entered as a pinch runner in the fifth and eventually scored the winning run in the seventh.
 
Catcher Nico Garcia added a 2-for-5 effort with a double and an RBI for the Purple and Gold.
 
For Champion Christian (10-12), shortstop Michael Sullivan drove in two runs on a pair of singles, and first baseman Riley Burge went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs as well. Josiah Clark and Kayne Brantley each scored twice for the Tigers, who left five runners on base and were hurt by three errors, including two by Sullivan.
 
The visiting Tigers erupted for five runs in the second inning, aided heavily by two Alcorn errors and a wild pitch.
 
Centerfielder Kayne Brantley capped the outburst by stealing home on a throwing error, and pitcher-turned-designated hitter Caden Shryock added a two-run double to make it 6-0. The Tigers had scored an unearned run in the first on a dropped fly ball in left field.
 
Alcorn began chipping away in the second, scoring twice on an RBI single by Chase Moore and a run-scoring groundout by left fielder Chance Thurston. The Braves continued their comeback in the third, scoring three more times – capped by a Moore RBI single – before tying the game at 6 in the fourth on a Harris triple and a Garcia double, respectfully.
 
Centerfielder Rayfield Adams III put Alcorn ahead 8-6 with an RBI double in the fifth, but the Tigers reclaimed the lead in the sixth with a four-run outburst.
 
Riley Burge's two-run double and a Sullivan RBI single highlighted the rally, pushing Champion Christian back in front 10-8.
 
Alcorn starting pitcher Myles Dews worked through 5.1 innings, allowing nine runs (though just two earned) while striking out seven without factoring into the decision. Hayden Konkler earned the win in relief, tossing a scoreless seventh to improve to 1-0.
 
Jaxun Moore took the loss for Champion Christian, falling to 1-2 after allowing four runs on two hits in two innings.
 
The Tigers cycled through four pitchers and hit six batters on the night.
 
Alcorn returns to McGowan Stadium on Friday, March 20, opening a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series against defending SWAC Tournament champion and preseason favorite Bethune-Cookman. First pitch Friday is set for 6 p.m.
 
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