ASU Hornets Take Game One At Jackson State

JACKSON, Mississippi – The Alabama State baseball team took game one of its three-game weekend series at Jackson State with a 7-4 over the Tigers at Braddy Field.

Alabama State improved to 21-12 overall, 13-0 in league play as the Hornets won game one of a conference series for the 10^th straight time. Jackson State falls to 17-13, 6-4.

Trailing 2-1 after one inning, the score remained the same until the fifth. Oscar Priouleau and Yamil Pagan walked to lead off the inning. Following a sacrifice bunt by Diandre Amion advanced the runners, Carlos Ocasio walked to load the bases. Dillon Cooper's walk scored Prioleau to tie the game at 2-2.

Perhaps the play of the game came in the next at-bat, as Chris Biocic's head first slide into first base negated a would be inning-ending double play as Pagan scored from third for a 3-2 lead. Ray Hernandez' single to left scored Ocasio for a 4-2 ASU lead.

"More than anything else, you want effort. You want your guys to give effort," Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez said of Biocic's play that turned what could have been a tied game at 2-2 at the end of the inning into a three-run lead. "Chris didn't have a good at-bat in grounding to the shortstop, but what he did after that was the key to the game. That's what we want our guys to do. In spite of what you do, give effort, and play hard. Chris has always played hard, and because of his effort, it made what could have been a one-run inning a three-run inning."

The Hornets added three huge eighth-inning insurance runs, all with two outs. Pagan's triple down the right field line scored Prioleau to extend the lead to 5-2. Amion then doubled to left center, scoring Pagan for a 6-2 lead. Ocasio then doubled to right center, scoring Amion for a 7-2 lead.

Joseph Camacho (6-0) won his 27^th straight game as the Hornets won for the 31^st time in his last 32 starts. After allowing two first-inning runs, he kept Jackson State off the scoreboard over the final seven innings. He allowed five hits, walked three and struckout seven.

Ocasio went 3-for-4, and Amion 2-for-4 as the Hornets extended their winning streak to five games. Game two of the series is Saturday at 3 p.m., with the live radio broadcast beginning at 2:45 p.m. on bamastatesports.com.

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COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS