BIRMINGHAM – The Alabama State baseball team lost Saturday's doubleheader to Alabama A&M by scores of 8-3 and 5-1 in the final two games of the Magic City Diamond Classic at Historic Rickwood Field.
 
Alabama State (28-14 overall, 16-5 SWAC) returns to action next weekend at two-time defending champion Jackson State (27-15, 13-6) with the SWAC's Eastern Division title on the line at Braddy Field. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game both begin at 1 p.m., with a live radio broadcast on bamastatesports.com.
 
Game 1 – Alabama A&M 8, Hornets 3: Alabama State fell behind 5-0 after four innings.
 
The Hornets got on the board in the fifth. Joseph Estrada led off with a single to center and with one out, Cesar Rivera singled to right center. P.J. Biocic then singled through the left side to score Estrada to get ASU on the board.
 
After the Bulldogs added runs in the fifth and seventh, Alabama State added two runs in the eighth on an RBI single by Sebastian Rivera, scoring Yamil Pagan, as pinch-runner Ryan Thompson scored on a throwing error on the play.
 
Game 2 – Alabama A&M 5, Hornets 2: Alabama State scored first in the fourth inning on a safety squeeze bunt by Estrada, scoring Pagan who walked to lead off the inning.
 
The Bulldogs (24-24, 16-8) scored two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to take the lead.
 
Alabama State added the final run in the ninth on a two-out double to left by Ruben Garcia, scoring Sebastian Rivera who also doubled to left.

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