ASU Hornets To Play At Mercer, Host Samford In Midweek Contests

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama State baseball team returns to action with midweek games Tuesday at Mercer and Wednesday at home against Samford.

The second meeting in eight days with Mercer begins at 5 p.m., with internet radio on bamastatesports.com/showcase. The home contest against Samford is at 6 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

The Hornets (26-10) got back on track over the weekend with a two-game sweep of SWAC Eastern Division foe Mississippi Valley State with wins of 7-2 and 6-1. The pitching struggled in last week's midweek games, but starters T.J. Renda and Joseph Camacho had strong outings on the mound.

"We addressed a few things on Thursday and Friday, and I thought our pitching was our strongest area this past weekend," head coach Mervyl Melendez said. "It was good to see the guys make the adjustments, and have better concentration on the mound, commanding the strike zone better than we did during the week."

Offensively, despite cool, windy conditions, the Hornets were able to hit three home runs, all at important times over the weekend.

"It wasn't a great day for offense," Melendez said of temperatures in the 50s. "The wind was blowing in at times in cold and condensed air. You get whatever you can on days like that, and we were fortunate to hit three home runs. They were all key, starting with Dexter Price in the first game with the three-run homer in the sixth inning with two outs when we were trailing 2-1 to put us in a good position. In the second game, it was a bit of the same. We go ahead on a two-run homer by Waldyvan Estrada (fourth inning) and then the big two-run home run by Cesar Rivera (fifth inning) gave us a cushion. The long ball helped us this weekend."

The Hornets and Mercer (26-7) meet for the second straight Tuesday. Last week, the Hornets lead 4-3 entering the seventh inning before ineffective pitching and three defensive errors contributed to nine Bear runs in a 12-4 home loss. Mercer has won six straight, and 12 of its last 13 games.

"It will be very important for us to get back on our feet," Melendez said of his teams' play in midweek games. "We know what Mercer is going to bring. They are a very good offensive ball club. We have to do a much better job pitching, especially late in the ball game. That's where we faltered. We didn't pitch well out of the bullpen. We have to find those guys that will be ready to compete at that level when the game is on the line when you are up by one late in the game to give us the innings that we need. We have to pitch very well tomorrow."

The inverse is true of Wednesday's matchup, as the Hornets had season highs in runs (23), hits (19), and home runs (four) in a 23-7 win at Samford March 18. The Bulldogs (19-13) have posted wins over Auburn and Jacksonville State in recent weeks.

"Samford is one of the better offensive teams we've played all year," Melendez said. "We were very fortunate to score a lot of runs and outhit them in that game. It wasn't a pitchers' dual. Eventhough the score was lopsided, we only outhit them 19-16. They still got hits. They just didn't get them when they counted (leaving 11 runners on base). That's a very good hitting ball club, and we have to be ready for them. If our pitchers continue to work, command the zone, and put emphasis on every pitch, we could do very well this midweek. It's important for us to do well midweek, as it's the springboard to the weekend to get the confidence about what you've done offensively and on the mound. We will put a lot of emphasis on these games."

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION