NEW ORLEANS –
Raul Perez' bases-loaded walk scored
Richard Amion with the winning run as Alabama State defeated Grambling State 11-10 in 11 innings in day one of the SWAC Baseball Tournament.
Alabama State (35-19) advances to Thursday's 6 p.m. game against Alcorn State, a 5-4 winner over Texas Southern in 10 innings.
Amion, who went 4-for-6 with a pair of triples, three runs scored, and two RBI, led off the 11
th with a double off the right field wall. After a sacrifice bunt by
Cesar Rivera moved Amion to third,
Waldyvan Estrada and
Emmanuel Marrero were intentionally walked to load the bases. Perez then walked on a 3-1 pitch, scoring Amion.
"Two years ago, we would have lost this game," head coach
Mervyl Melendez said. "I'm very proud of our guys. I never had doubts that they had it in them. I was very positive. I knew it was going to be a tough game. Grambling's batting average (.270) in Division I is not too shabby. I knew they could swing the bats. We happened to outscore them tonight, but neither team deserved to lose. Grambling did an extremely good job. They got 19 hits, and most of them they earned."
It was a true slugfest in every sense of the word, as the teams combined for 21 runs, 34 hits, five home runs, 13 extra-base hits, and four lead changes.
The Hornets led 8-3 after four innings before Grambling (14-31) chipped away with one run in the sixth, two in the seventh, and three in the eighth to take a 9-8 lead. Alabama State regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-run homer by
Dillon Cooper, his third of the season.
Grambling State tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the ninth to tie the score, setting up the dramatic win for the Hornets in their first extra-inning game of the season.
Hunter McIntosh (3-2) was stellar in relief, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing two hits, no runs and five strikeouts. Between the 10
th and 11
th innings, McIntosh struck out four straight Tigers.
"Wow," Melendez said of McIntosh's performance. "He was unbelievable. He kept them at bay. He stopped the bleeding. Hunter was the only pitcher that had success against them. He was very, very tough and without him, we don't win this game. He's another player that has stepped up throughout the entire season, and given us the lift that we needed. I'm very proud of guys pulling through. This is only the first game. We have a lot of work to do. It's a good way to start, being tested early, and the resiliency our guys had today, I'm extremely proud of their effort."
Marrero went 3-for-4 as he and
Richard Gonzalez hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning. Brandon Castro and
Einar Muniz each had two hits.
