MVSU Sweeps Doubleheader from Baseball

LORMAN, Miss. – Mississippi Valley State took a 6-5 extra-inning win from Alcorn in the first game of a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, and then claimed a 15-8 decision in the nightcap to compete a sweep of the Braves at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
GAME ONE: MVSU 6, ALCORN 5 (10 inn.)
Cody Leming singled up the middle to score Johnny Escobalez Jr. with the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning Wednesday afternoon, lifting visiting Mississippi Valley State to a 6-5 extra-inning victory over Alcorn State in game one of a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium.
 
The win improved the Delta Devils to 8-18 overall and 4-6 in conference play, while the Braves fell to 7-23 and 1-9 in the SWAC.
 
Escobalez Jr. drew a leadoff walk in the 10th, promptly stole second, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tanner Aoki before Cody Leming drove him home with a single to center. Logan Darnell, who entered in the ninth, retired Alcorn in order in the bottom of the 10th to close it out and earn the win, improving to 1-3 on the season.
 
MVSU burst out to a 5-1 lead through the first three innings, capitalizing on a handful of Alcorn miscues.
 
The Delta Devils plated a run in the first when Eric Williams lifted a sacrifice fly to score Leming, then tacked on three more in the second.
 
Escobalez Jr. started the rally by reaching on a walk and stealing second, and after Aoki reached and Leming singled, Tom Early's RBI single brought home two runs, pushing the lead to 4-1. A fifth run scored in the third when Kendall Brookins reached on a throwing error by second baseman Jaylyn Bennett, allowing Escobalez Jr. to score.
 
However, the Braves refused to go quietly.
 
Left fielder Jamir Hollway knocked in a run in the second on an RBI single, and first baseman Cooper Harris added another with an RBI single in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-2.
 
The Braves then mounted a furious comeback in the seventh, when Hollway tripled down the right field line to score pinch hitter Gavin Caston, then Bennett followed with an RBI single to make it 5-4. Julian Jarrett then scored the tying run on a wild pitch in the eighth, knotting the game at 5-5 and sending it to extras.
 
Hollway finished the game 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs to pace the Purple and Gold offense. Bennett went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base, and Hawk added two hits. For MVSU, Escobalez Jr. was a catalyst all afternoon, reaching base multiple times and stealing three bases, while Leming went 2-for-4 with an RBI, two walks, and two steals.
 
Alcorn starter Kanious Davis tossed through five innings, striking out five batters and allowing five runs (three earned) before giving way to Jacob Wingard, who was tagged with the loss after surrendering the decisive run in the 10th. Wingard finished with four strikeouts over five innings of otherwise solid relief work.
 
Delta Devils starter Luke Richard worked seven innings on the bump, giving up four runs (three earned) on nine hits while striking out three. Camden Farmer relieved and allowed the tying wild pitch in the eighth before Darnell locked things down the rest of the way, striking out two Braves batters in the ninth to set up MVSU's game-winning rally.
 
GAME TWO: MVSU 15, ALCORN 8
Isreal Ramos clubbed two home runs and drove in six runs, and Ty Burns added a grand slam as Mississippi Valley State plated 15 runs to defeat Alcorn 15-8 in the nightcap of a SWAC Baseball doubleheader Wednesday evening at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium, giving the visiting Delta Devils a sweep of the twin bill in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
The victory pushed Mississippi Valley to 9-18 overall and 5-6 in SWAC play. Meanwhile, Alcorn dropped to 7-24 and 1-10 in the SWAC, respectfully.
 
Isreal Ramos was the story of the afternoon, going 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs, six RBIs, and four runs scored.
 
He struck first in the second inning, connecting on a two-run shot clear the wall in left that scored Chris Soeder and gave MVSU a 2-1 lead. The right fielder struck again in the third, this time a three-run blast to left center that blew the game open and pushed the Delta Devils' lead to 7-1. Burns then put the game out of reach with a towering grand slam to left field in the seventh, a capper to a six-run inning that turned a tight contest into a rout.
 
It would be Alcorn that scored first on the evening, loading the bases in the bottom of the first on three consecutive singles and forcing in a run when shortstop Asher Friedman drew a bases-loaded walk to score third baseman Kanious Davis.
 
But the Delta Devils answered immediately and never relinquished the lead.
 
The MVSU third inning was the decisive frame.
 
After Tanner Aoki and Cody Leming drew back-to-back walks, a chain of events unfolded that put MVSU firmly in control. Tom Early delivered an RBI single, Soeder followed with another RBI single, and then Ramos capped the outburst with his second home run of the game, a three-run shot, to push the lead to 7-1.
 
Alcorn battled back to make things somewhat respectable, getting two runs in the third on an RBI single by Cooper Harris and an RBI single by catcher Adrian Vallescorbo, a Christian Dunn RBI single in the fifth, and a run scored on a Julian Jarrett groundout in the sixth to trim the deficit to 7-5 heading into the seventh.
 
But the Delta Devils answered emphatically.
 
In the seventh, Mississippi Valley sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six times.
 
Leming and Kendall Brookins opened with singles, Leming scoring on an Early sacrifice fly. Soeder then singled and Ramos followed with an RBI single to make it 9-5. Burns then cleared the bases with his grand slam, pushing the lead to 13-5 and effectively ending any Alcorn hopes of another comeback after the squad's heroics in the day's opening game.
 
The Delta Devils added two more in the eighth on a pair of walks with the bases loaded, one each from pinch hitter Noah Bufford and pinch hitter Jordan Jones, to push the final margin to 15-5 before Alcorn scored three times in the final two innings on late RBI contributions from Gavin Caston, Friedman, and Chance Thurston.
 
Lucas Valencia earned the win for MVSU, improving to 1-2 after allowing three earned runs over three innings, and was backed by a bullpen that largely held Alcorn in check through the middle frames. José Cherena took the loss for the Braves, falling to 0-2 after surrendering seven runs (three earned) over three innings, with two of Ramos' home runs coming on his watch. Alcorn used six pitchers in all, issuing 13 walks in the process.
 
Kanious Davis went 3-for-6 with two stolen bases to pace the Braves' 15-hit effort, while right fielder Keaten Hawk went 3-for-5 with a triple and a stolen base. Friedman added two RBIs.
 
The sides meet back for game three of the series Thursday, April 2, at noon, back inside McGowan Stadium.
 
Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports) for all the latest news and updates. Follow us on Instagram (@AlcornSports) and YouTube (Braves Sports Network) for even further behind-the-scenes action across all Braves Athletics.