The Alabama State baseball team returns home to host Troy Tuesday at 6 p.m. and Kennesaw State at 4 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
The Hornets are 7-1 for the first time, coming off a weekend sweep of the Major League Baseball Urban Invitational in Houston, defeating SWAC teams Prairie View (9-2), Southern (6-4), and Texas Southern (3-1) at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros.
In what is becoming a familiar theme, Alabama State again had strong pitching performances from the starters, which set the tone for each game. Starters T.J. Renda,
Joseph Camacho and
Joel Alvira and a combination of six relievers had posted a weekend ERA of 1.67, allowing just 17 hits, seven runs (five earned) with six walks and 25 strikeouts. The bullpen was dominant, allowing just three hits and one earned run with two walks and 10 strikeouts in nine innings of work.
Offensively, the Hornets batted over .350 as a team, and enjoyed the confines of Minute Maid Park, as 11 of their 40 hits went for extra bases (six doubles, one triple, and four home runs). A trio of
Leo Rojas,
Dexter Price, and
Waldyvan Estrada combined to bat .556 (20-for-36) with three home runs, and eight RBI as the Hornets rallied for wins on Saturday and Sunday.
“Two things stand out – the resiliency of our team, and the bullpen,” head coach
Mervyl Melendez said. “Our guys played hard throughout the entire tournament and came from behind in back-to-back games to win. Our bullpen really stepped up in tough situations and closed the games. I'm proud of the team for that.”
Alabama State hosts a pair of opponents that are also off to fast starts this season. Troy (5-1) opened the season with five straight wins, including a victory over Texas Tech. Kennesaw State (4-3) opened the season with four straight wins highlighted by a win at Georgia. Last season, the Hornets defeated Troy 4-2 at home in the only meeting between the teams, while losing both match-ups to Kennesaw State, 14-2 at home and 9-4 on the road.
“Troy has had a good start to the season and we know how talented they are,” Melendez said. “We must be ready to play and execute our game plan. Kennesaw State has a great pitching staff. Our hitters must be patient and look for good pitches to hit against their staff. We're looking to have a better performance this week than what we did last year."
HORNETS GET TOP 25 VOTES: The Hornets' baseball team received votes in College Baseball Daily's Mid-Major Top 25 poll released today.
Alabama State defeated previously unbeaten Mercer and won four of five games last week.
