ASU Hornets score six over last three innings for Opening Day victory

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana  --  Alabama State used three pitchers and scored six runs over the final three innings to pull out an 8-7 non-conference victory over Prairie View A&M on Opening Day in the Andre Dawson Classic at Barrow Stadium late Friday night.

Alabama State (0-1) went with senior Darren Kelly who lasted five innings and gave up three runs – all earned – on five hits with seven strikeouts. The start was the first for Kelly since last April against Mississippi Valley State, and the outing was just one out short of matching his career high against Northern Kentucky (March 12, 2016).

The Hornets also used Ivanniel Vazquez for an inning in which he allowed a pair of runs off one hit, before Chase Laney (1-0) came in for the final three innings where he allowed two runs off of five hits with a pair of strikeouts.

Alabama State trailed for much of the contest, until they were able to tie it up with a pair of runs in the fifth inning when Oscar Prioleau was able to put the ball in play and reached on a throwing error by Prairie View A&M, which allowed Joshua Dunson and Hunter Allen to cross the plate and tie the contest at 2-all.

After Prairie View A&M scored three runs over the next two innings to take a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning, Alabama State erupted offensively. After Dunson reached on a one-out, two-strike single to left; he was able to come around to third on a Hunter Phillips single to center. Joseph Estrada pushed home Dunson to trim the lead to 5-3, before Yamil Pagan trimmed the lead to 5-4 when he reached on a throwing error to score Phillips.

Pagan would then steal second, before Cage Cox put together a nine pitch at-bat and grounded into a fielders choice to score Estrada and tie the game at 5-all.

Prairie View A&M (0-1) score two more – which would prove to be their final runs of the game – in the bottom of the seventh before Alabama State fought back to tie the game again in the top of the eighth.

Allen led off the inning with a two-strike double to right center and later scored on a Ray Hernandez single down the right field line to trim the deficit to 7-6. After Hernandez stole second, Santiago Garcia drew a four-pitch walk to put runners at first and second with no one out in the inning. After a one-out passed ball allowed Hernandez to advance to third and pinch runner AJ Gardner to second, Estrada reached on a throwing error to score Hernandez and tie the game.

After a scoreless eighth for Prairie View A&M, Cox led off the ninth inning with a triple to center on the second pitch of the at-bat. He scored when the very next batter, Gustavo Rios, hit a sacrifice fly to center to give Alabama State their first lead of the game in the top of the ninth. Laney was able to go out in the bottom of the ninth and ended the game with a groundball double play.

Estrada, Allen and Dunson each finished the night with a pair of hits each for Alabama State; while Allen scored a pair of runs.

Alabama State returns to action Saturday night at 6 pm against New Orleans, in a game that will be featured on MLBTV.

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