Alcorn Stumbles in Series Finale to MVSU

LORMAN, Miss. – Mississippi Valley State scored in six of nine innings and held off a furious Alcorn comeback attempt 13-10 in the finale of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball series Thursday afternoon at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium, handing the Braves a tough defeat in a game delayed one hour and nine minutes due to weather.
 
Mississippi Valley State (10-18, 6-6 SWAC) jumped on Alcorn starter Devin Kriley early, plating three runs in the top of the first inning.
 
Cody Leming doubled home Tanner Aoki to get things started, and Chris Soeder followed with an RBI double of his own before scoring on a passed ball to put Mississippi Valley ahead 3-0.
 
Alcorn (7-25, 1-11 SWAC) answered with a run in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Keatan Hawk that scored Kanious Davis, but the Braves' most memorable swing of the afternoon came in the fourth inning when Gavin Caston launched a two-run home run to left field – the first by any Braves performer at home this season, scoring Chase Moore and giving Alcorn its first lead of the game at 4-3.
 
However, the Purple and Gold lead was short-lived.
 
The Delta Devils' designated hitter Tom Early tripled down the line in left to plate two runs and put the visitors back in front 5-4.
 
MVSU extended its advantage out to 7-4 in the top of the sixth inning on a two-error inning that proved costly for the Braves, and upped the lead at 9-5 in the seventh on two more unearned runs.
 
Alcorn refused to go quietly.
 
The Braves chipped away throughout the final innings, pulling as close as 13-10 in the ninth on a two-run single by centerfielder Rayfield Adams III that scored Chase Moore and Nico Garcia, respectively. But MVSU had added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a Gabe Huelsing single and a costly Alcorn fielding error, and the Braves could not complete the comeback, stranding two runners to end the game.
 
Kriley, a freshman for the Purple and Gold, took the loss, falling to 0-6 after surrendering five runs (two earned) while scattering four hits over 4.2 innings with five walks and five strikeouts.
 
Logan Darnell earned the win for the Delta Devils, improving to 2-3 after tossing 3.2 innings of relief.
 
Alcorn finished with 12 hits but was hurt by four errors and eight walks allowed. Davis led the Braves offensively, going 2-for-5 with an RBI and three stolen bases. Moore contributed a 3-for-5 effort with three runs scored, while left fielder Gavin Caston drove in two runs and scored twice as well.
 
Adams added two RBIs on the day for the Braves offensive attack, respectfully.
 
For Mississippi Valley, Early went 2-for-5 with four RBIs, and Leming finished 3-for-6 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Aoki reached base four times via walk and scored three runs.
 
Alcorn returns to the diamond Tuesday, April 7, when the Braves travel to Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, with a first pitch time scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
 
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