LORMAN, Miss. – The Alabama State University baseball team exploded for four runs in the sixth inning and broke open a close game with a 10-2 victory over Alcorn State in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game on Sunday afternoon at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium.
Austin Bizzle (6-0), who made his first start of the season, pitched 7.2 innings to pick up the win. He surrendered two unearned runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Chase Laney worked the final 1.1 innings in relief.
Alabama State (27-23 overall, 18-6 SWAC) took advantage of a pair of walks to grab an early lead.
Joseph Estrada, who went 1-for-3, opened the game with a base hit to left center.
Diandre Amion and
Cage Cox drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Estrada came in on
Gustavo Rios' sacrifice fly to left as Amion tagged and advanced to third.
Carlos Ocasio's sacrifice fly to right brought Amion in from third, giving Alabama State a 2-0 advantage.
The Hornets added to the lead in the fourth as Ocasio led off the frame with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
Chris Biocic plated Ocasio with a sacrifice bunt to give Alabama State a 3-0 advantage.
Alcorn State (11-31, 7-17) loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but came away empty handed.
Alabama State put the game out of reach in the sixth with four runs on two hits and took advantage of a Braves error to grab a 7-0 lead.
Biocic opened the inning with a walk and advanced 90 feet to second with a single up the middle by
Ray Hernandez.
Eriq White reached on an error as his sacrifice bunt was misplayed. With the bases loaded and one out, Estrada drew a walk to plate Biocic from third. Amion brought Hernandez in on a sacrifice fly in foul territory as White and Estrada tagged and advanced on the play. Cox, who went 2-for-3, cleared the bases with a double to left center as White and Estrada scored.
The Hornets put the final touches on the game in the eighth with two runs to take a 9-0 lead.
Oscar Prioleau, who went 3-for-4, began the frame with a double to left and advanced to third a passed ball.
Hunter Phillips, who pinch hit for Estrada, walked and moved to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Cox doubled down the right field line to plate Prioleau and Phillips.
The Braves picked up two runs in the bottom half of the eighth, but that would be as close as they would get.
Alabama State would add one more run in the ninth for good measure.
Hernandez was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on Prioleau's single to left. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch and
Edgardo Rivera's high chopper brought Hernandez as the Hornets pushed the lead to 10-2.
Patrick McMahon (0-3) started for the Braves and lasted two innings. He surrendered two runs on one hit with four walks and one strikeout. Carlos Lopez, Austin Willis-Greene, Razedrick Winters and Conrado Skepple pitched in relief.
Alabama State returns to action with a pair of mid-week games to conclude the regular season. First the Hornets will host Jacksonville State on Tuesday from the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex, and then they will travel on Wednesday to Troy. Both games begin at 6 p.m.
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