Alabama State Hornets baseball clutch in wins at Jackson State

JACKSON, Miss. – Strong pitching, great defense and timely hitting helped Alabama State to a doubleheader sweep of Jackson State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference Eastern Division baseball showdown Saturday at Braddy Field.

Alabama State (26-17 overall, 15-5 SWAC) won game one 4-2, and the nightcap 3-2 to move into a first-place tie atop the division with Jackson State (21-18, 15-5).

The Hornets, who have won the season series over Jackson State in winning four of five games, will go for the series sweep Sunday at 2 p.m., with live radio coverage online at bamastatesports.com/showcase.

Game 1 – Hornets 4, Jackson State 2: T.J. Renda held Jackson State scoreless for 8 2/3 innings in improving to 8-0 on the season. He scattered 10 hits, four of them in the ninth as he couldn't quite get the complete game victory in walking two and striking out three, throwing 127 pitches, 83 for strikes. With two on and two out, Armando Ruiz came on to get the final out for his second save of the season.

Alabama State scored in the first inning for the sixth time in its last seven games. Leo Rojas doubled down the left field line with one out, and advanced to third as Richard Gonzalez reached on an error. Waldyvan Estrada's single to left field scored Rojas for a 1-0 lead.

The Hornets added three runs in the eighth. Gonzalez singled to right field, and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Estrada. Dillon Cooper's single on the first pitch to left center scored Gonzalez to double the ASU lead. Dexter Price then hit an infield single, and he and Gonzalez moved to second and third, respectively on a groundout. Einar Muniz's two-run single to left center on a 2-0 pitch scored both runners for a 4-0 lead.

Renda's effort on the mound worked in concert with the Hornet defense. Renda pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the second inning, and Gonzalez threw out a would-be base stealer for the final out in the third inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Rojas fielded a grounder at third to start a 5-2-3 double play to end the inning, with Gonzalez throwing a strike to Price to end the inning, one of two double plays turned by the Hornets in the opener.

Game 2 – Hornets 3, Jackson State 2: The Hornets scored three runs in the second inning and made it standup for the win.

Cooper led off the inning with an infield single. Following a sacrifice bunt and a foul out, Muniz singled to right center field to score Cooper. Marcus Swint reached on a throwing error and advanced to second on the play, as Muniz scored all the way from first base. Amion then singled to center to score Swint for a 3-0 Alabama State lead.

Jackson State scored one run in the second and one in the seventh, but clutch Hornet defense and pitching proved to be the difference. Starting pitcher Joel Alvira (5-0) allowed just three hits and one run, walking five and striking out four in six innings. Despite the Tigers scoring in the second inning and having two on with one out, Alvira retired the next two JSU hitters, the last on a strikeout of Stephen Curtis to end the inning.

It was one of three two-on, one-out situations Alvira pitched out of in the game. In the fourth, he forced back-to-back ground outs back to the mound to end the inning. In the sixth, Rojas again started a double play, with a diving stop of a ground ball, quickly getting to his feet to step on third for the second out before completing the inning-ending double play to Price at first.

In the eighth, reliever Michael Estevez pitched out of a two-out, bases loaded jam by striking out Curtis on a curve ball to end the inning.

In the ninth, Jorge Pantoja inherited a two-on, none-out situation but slammed the door on the Tigers in retiring the final three hitters to end the game in earning his first save.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION