LORMAN, Miss. –
Jaylyn Bennett launched his second home run of the season Saturday afternoon as Alcorn Baseball fell to visiting Southern University 17-5 in the second game of a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series played at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
The game was delayed for an hour and two minutes in the bottom of the fifth due to showers in and around the Lorman area.
Southern University (17-20, 10-6 SWAC) opened the game with six runs in the opening half-inning, as the Jaguars never relinquished the early lead.
Despite a gutsy offensive showing from the Braves, who received a standout performance from second baseman
Jaylyn Bennett, Alcorn (8-31, 2-15 SWAC) could not overcome the early deficit.
The Braves showed no shortage of fight.
Bennett was the offensive catalyst for Alcorn, finishing 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run to left-center in the fifth inning and two RBIs. His shot off Southern starter Myles Dismute was one of the few genuine bright spots on what proved to be a long afternoon.
Michael Bonelli added a triple and an RBI for the Purple and Gold. Right fielder Keatan Hawk reached base twice and scored twice, and catcher
Nico Garcia chipped in a run-scoring single of his own. Playing late as a substitute off the bench,
Clayvonjae Wright provided a clutch run-scoring single in the seventh as the Braves put together a two-run frame in the seventh to close the gap momentarily to 13-5.
Alcorn's offense managed nine hits in total, and the Braves demonstrated some resilience by answering Southern scoring bursts in four separate innings. Each time the Purple and Gold found a response, though, the Jaguars had more in reserve.
The trouble began immediately.
Southern's leadoff man reached on a fielding error, and the Jaguars sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning, pushing across six runs before Alcorn starter
Kanious Davis could escape the frame. Davis labored through four innings, issuing eight walks while allowing eight runs, only one of which was earned. The loss drops him to 3-3 on the season, respectfully.
Relievers
Caden Wade and
Yoni Castro combined to work the middle innings, but Southern continued to put pressure on the Braves bullpen throughout.
The Jaguars added three more in the fifth on a two-RBI single by Brant Stewart and an RBI knock from Jacoby Radcliffe, and tacked on two more in the seventh before a four-run ninth put the game fully out of reach.
KJ White Jr. led Southern's 16-hit attack, going 4-for-7 with two RBI and two stolen bases. Kameron Byrd drove in two and tripled, while Ryan Hunter added a triple of his own and three RBIs on the day. Designated hitter Jaylon Lucky reached base six times without an official at-bat, drawing six walks and scoring three runs.
Dismute was dominant for the Jaguars on the mound, earning the win to improve to 4-0. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing five hits, five runs (four earned) and striking out seven, including Bennett's solo blast as the lone home run he surrendered. Jayden Lawrence closed out the final two frames, striking out three.
The two sides close out the series Sunday at 1 p.m.
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