MONTGOMERY, AL – The Alabama State baseball team played two games on Saturday and found two different ways to win. 
 
The Hornets (10-6) swept the doubleheader in games two and three of their four-game series with Northern Kentucky with a pull away 11-1 victory in the early game and a 7-6 come-from-behind victory in the late game at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
Since starting the season with a record of 1-5, the Hornets are sizzling hot and have now won nine of their last 10.
 
The team pushed their winning streak to four straight and have now taken the first three games of the series against Northern Kentucky (4-10). 
 
While the offense did wonders for ASU on Saturday with a combined 18 runs scored on 22 hits, it was also the robust pitching performances of Hornet hurlers that got the job done.
 
Alabama State pitchers combined to strike out 12 batters in game one and then followed that up with an encore by striking out another 13 batters in game two.
 
The 13 strikeouts were a season high for a single game.
 
Game 1: Alabama State 11, Northern Kentucky 1
Hornets starting pitcher Tyler Howe (2-2) tossed five and a third innings and allowed just one run (none were earned) on seven hits.
 
The redshirt junior stayed in command with five strikeouts against just one walk and carried a 2-1 lead after his departure. 
 
Reliever Ivanniel Vazquez came in to strike out a batter and Michael Tellado set down the next four batters in order to keep the Norse in check.
 
Five different Hornets had two hits apiece including Diandre Amion, Carlos Ocasio, Dillon Cooper, Ray Hernandez and Eriq White. 
 
Ocasio homered for the fifth time on the season, Hunter Allen slugged his second homer and White drove in four runs including his first career home run as a Hornet. 
 
Game 2: Alabama State 7, Northern Kentucky 6
ASU trailed 5-0 in the early going before chipping away at the lead and eventually took a 6-5 lead in the fifth inning on a two-run double by Hunter Allen to left center field.
 
White followed with a RBI single that scored Allen to give ASU a 7-5 advantage. 
 
It proved to be important.
 
The Hornets held off a late rally by Northern Kentucky when Hornets relief pitcher Austin Bizzle fielded a bunt and threw home to Allen, who tagged out Norse runner Quint Heady attempting to score and tie the game in the top of the seventh.
 
Darren Kelly was sensational in relief as the sophomore perplexed Norse hitters to the tune of nine strikeouts in five and a third innings pitched out of the bullpen.
 
Kelly (1-0) allowed just one run on three hits.
 
Bizzle finished it out in relief by tossing two and two third hitless innings while striking out three. 
 
Bizzle earned the save. 
 
Offensively, Allen finished 2-for-3 with a double, three RBI and a run scored.
 
Yamil Pagan hit a two-run home run, his third of the year, to cut the lead to 5-4 in the fourth. 
 
Ocasio batted 1-for-4 to extend his reached base streak to 16 straight.
 
Chris Biocic went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored. 
 
Up next
The Hornets will finish the four-game series with Northern Kentucky Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
Follow live stats here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/alasu/baseball/
 
Admission is free.
#GOHORNETS#