JSU Tiger Baseball grab 8-5 win over UT-Martin in season opener

JACKSON, Mississippi – The Jackson State baseball team grabbed an 8-5 win over the University of Tennessee-Martin in their season opener at home.

Jesus Santana, sophomore third baseman and Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, led the Tigers offensively with three at-bats, two runs, two hits, and two RBIs.

Bryce Brown, Sam Campbell, and Tony Holton took control of the defensive effort on the field with four putouts each.

Miguel Yrigoyen pitched for 6 innings allowing five hits, two runs (one earned) with seven strikeouts to claim the JSU win on the mound.

Calvin “CJ” Newsome scored the first run for JSU after taking first base off an error by the short stop. Carlos Diaz advanced Newsome to second with a bunted single and Newsome eventually made the run home on a sacrifice fly by Lamar Briggs.

In the bottom of the second, Briggs blasted a triple right center Newsome, Brown, and Santana landed a single each to record four hits for the Tigers. Tony Holton, Cornelius Copeland, Newsome, Santana, and Brown made the home in the inning to tally five runs advancing the JSU lead to 6-0.

Yrigoyen began to tire by the seventh inning leaving room for the Skyhawks to record two runs in the top of the second. The Tigers answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own to regain their six-point lead, making the score 8-2 going into the top of the eight.

Neither team scored in the eight but in the top of the ninth, UT-Martin put up a forceful effort against the JSU defense rallying to put an additional three runs on the board. But the Skyhawk effort was not enough and the Tigers were able to claim the win.

Jackson State and UT-Martin return to the field tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 20 for game two and three of the four-game series. The first pitched is schedule for 3 p.m. at Robert “Bob” Braddy Field located on the campus of Jackson State University.

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COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS