HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Gustavo Rios drove in all five runs and belted his fifth homer of the season as the Alabama State University baseball team held off Alabama A&M, 5-3, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Field.
"I was sitting on curveball in my first three at-bats and that last one I hit pretty good," Rios, who went 2-for-4, said. "When I hit the two-run homer, they started me off with two fastballs and I knew the curveball was going to come soon. I saw it right out of his hand and it stayed up and I put the bat through it and drove it."
Burke Echelmeier (4-3) earned the victory with a career-high eight strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched. He gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits, with one walk.
Chase Laney worked three innings in relief to pick up his second save.
Alabama A&M (8-26 overall, 5-8 SWAC) broke the 0-0 tie in the bottom of the first with one run on two hits, to grab a 1-0 lead.
The Hornets (16-15, 12-2) took the lead in the fourth with two runs on one hit, and took advantage of error.
With one out in the frame,
Cage Cox reached on an error. Rios followed with a towering two-run blast, his team-leading fifth homer of the season, to give Alabama State a 2-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs took advantage of a Hornet error in the bottom of the fourth to the tie game at 2.
Rios and the Hornets struck again in the fifth inning.
Eriq White led off the fifth with a base hit through the left side. White moved to second on a bunt single by
Joshua Dunson and
Diandre Amion reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. After
Carlos Ocasio and Cox popped out, Rios cleared the bases with a double off the wall in left to give Alabama State a 5-2 advantage.
Alabama A&M took advantage of two Alabama State errors in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to 5-3, but that would be as close as the Bulldogs would get.
Blaine Milam (3-5) took the loss in 6.0 innings of work. He surrendered five runs (four earned) on six hits with one walk and one strikeout. Brandon Marsonek worked three innings in relief.
Alabama State will look for its third straight SWAC series sweep on Sunday against Alabama A&M. First pitch from Bulldog Field is set for 1 p.m.
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