The junior pitched seven innings of shutout baseball only allowing six hits.  Alicea only walked one batter while striking out seven.
 
Only once was Alicea in any trouble and that was the opening inning.  The Vols were able to load the bases with one out on a hit, walk and hit batsman, but Alicea would pitch out of that trouble by enticing an infield popup and a strikeout to end the threat.  The Vols never really threatened again until the ninth inning.
 
"Tonight the game belonged to Alicea and my hat is off to him," Head Coach Mervly Melendez said.  "He made some quality, quality pitches and the key for him was getting out of the first inning.  He was able to get out of that first inning and got into rhythm and started locating all of his pitches.  He threw three pitches for strikes and it was just an amazing job by him."
 
Charles Taylor came in and completed the shutout pitching the eighth and ninth inning as he recorded his first save of the season.  He only allowed one hit and walked one while striking out two.
 
The Vols were able to get two batters on base via an infield hit and a walk in the final inning, but Taylor was able to pitch out of it without surrendering a run and saving the shutout.
 
"He was fresh and had not thrown a lot of innings," Melendez said.  "This late (in the season) not having guys that have thrown a lot of innings and having quality pitchers that can get it done is an absolute plus."
 
The Hornets managed to score all three runs in the second inning.  Chris Biocic, who had two of ASU's seven hits, led off the inning with a double and after Ray Hernandez was hit with a pitch, Allen Hunter was able to sacrifice the runners over and Eriq White came up with the first of his two hits, scoring Biocic.
 
Hernandez came right around to score behind Biocic on a throwing error on the play.  From there White was able to score on an Oscar Prioleau sacrifice bunt for the third and final run.  It would be all the Hornets would need on this night.
 
"We just executed the game in that second inning," Melendez said.  "They did the little things and were able to move the runners over.  We played team baseball and we had some unselfish at bats there tonight.  Very unselfish at bats and that's what it takes to beat a good team on the road.
 
White and Biocic had two hits each and Diandre Amion, Hernandez, and Hunter had the other hits.
 
While the Vols had seven hits, four of those were infield singles, but that did not mean they did not hit the ball hard.  But on this night the Hornets defense came through with big play after big play without committing an error.  Most of those big plays came on the outfield being able to run down fly balls.
 
"Very good plays especially by the outfield, I mean the outfield did an amazing job out there today.  (Dillon) Cooper made two catches in left field that were amazing and Yamil Pagan made three in right field including the final out that were three really tough catches.  They were going back, coming in to end the game and he did that while having a bad night at the plate.  It says a lot about his mindset of what we are preaching, to forget about your at bats and when you're on defense you have to play defense and cudos to him too."
 
The win was the fifth consecutive for the Hornets (28-14) and 12^th in their last 14 games.  ASU continues this road trip this weekend with a three-game conference series at Alcorn State.  Friday's action will begin the weekend series with a 5 p.m. start.