ASU Hornets plates three in sixth to top No.23 Cal State Fullerton

Joseph Camacho 

CLEARWATER, Florida  – Joseph Camacho pitched seven strong innings and Hunter Allen's two-run single in a three-run sixth inning lifted Alabama State to a 3-2 win over #23-ranked Cal-State Fullerton in the Opening Weekend Challenge.

It is the second ranked team Alabama State has defeated in theMervyl Melendez era, including the victory at #4 Miami last season. The Titans (0-2) have appeared in the last 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and 36 of 40 overall.

"I'm excited first because we got in the win column early," said Melendez of his 1-1 Hornets. "This is an NCAA Regional-type setting (at Bright House Field, Philadelphia Phillies' spring training home) playing very good teams. Louisville is an outstanding team. Cal-State Fullerton is an outstanding team, and South Florida, who we'll face tomorrow, has a very good team. This is a regional. Playing well and being able to win really means a lot for our players and our program who have worked so hard."

Trailing 2-0 after five innings, the Hornets rallied in the sixth. P.J. Biocic led off by being hit by pitch. Einar Munizdoubled off the left field wall, scoring Biocic to get ASU on the board. Waldyvan Estrada was then hit by pitch to give the Hornets two on with no one out. After a double play groundout which moved Muniz to third, Gustavo Rios walked before Allen hit a 1-2 pitch into center field to score the winning runs.

"Hunter has done a good job through the entire year, starting in the fall with the scrimmages," said Melendez of Allen, who is now 3-for-5 on the season with three RBI. "In the scrimmages this spring, he's continued that. He's had good at bats, has squared the ball often, and I was happy he came up in a crucial situation. That's what you want, for your better hitters to come up when the game is on the line and produce."

Camacho (1-0) went seven innings, allowing six hits, two runs, with one walk, and nine strikeouts. He threw 77 of his 106 pitches for strikes, including striking out the side in the second with two on and none out.

"He picked up where he left off," head coach Mervyl Melendez said of Camacho, the 2014 SWAC Pitcher of the Year and the preseason selection in 2015. "Camacho threw three pitches for strikes. He was very tough today. I'm glad we were able to come back from a 2-0 deficit and win, because he earned it, he actually earned it. He pitched out of a couple of tough jams for us."  

Jorge Pantoja pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, setting the stage for Armando Ruiz, who sat down the Titans in order in the ninth for his first save.

"They were tough," said Melendez of his closing duo. "(Pitching coach) Matt Crane has done a really good job in developing those guys over the last few years to help them get where they are right now. Their velocity is crisper and has increased quite a bit. They've put in a lot of work to get where they are right now. When they came in today, all they needed to do was throw strikes and they did that."

The Hornets will face South Florida Sunday at 2 p.m. CT, and the contest can be heard live on bamastatesports.com/showcase.

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