MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Hunter Allen belted two home runs and Patrick Coffin pitched a career-high nine innings as the Alabama State University baseball team completed a season sweep of Jacksonville State, 9-4, on Tuesday night in a non-conference game at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
 
Patrick Coffin (4-0), who made his first start of the season on Tuesday night, surrendered four runs on 10 hits and struck out a career-high 11.
 
Alabama State (28-23) wasted little time scoring as the Hornets plated two runs on one hit in bottom of the first inning.
 
Joseph Estrada walked and came in to score on Cage Cox's triple to left center. Carlos Ocasio scored Cox from third with a sacrifice fly to right, giving Alabama State a 2-0 lead.
 
The Hornets extended the advantage to 3-0 in the second with Allen solo shot to left center.
 
Alabama State continued to give Coffin run support with three runs on three hits in the third.
 
Estrada opened the inning with his second walk of the day and stole second. Cox moved Estrada to third with a groundout, and Estrada scored on Gustavo Rios' base hit to right and Carlos Ocasio's double down the left field line. After a pitching change, Ray Hernandez brought Rios in with a ground out to the shortstop as Ocasio advanced to third. Ocasio scored on Eriq White's base hit up the middle to extend the Hornet advantage to 6-0.
 
Alabama State took advantage of a pitching change in the fifth inning as Rios belted his team-tying ninth homer of the season, a solo shot off the scoreboard in left, to push the margin to 7-0.
 
Jacksonville State (25-22) cut the deficit to 7-2 in the top of the sixth with a two-run homer to left by Nic Gaddis.
 
The Hornets got a run back in the bottom half of the frame when Allen blasted his second homer of the night, a solo shot to left, to push the lead to 8-2.
 
Back came the Gamecocks in the seventh with two runs to close the gap to 8-4.
 
Alabama State put the game away in the bottom of the frame as Cox walked and Rios reached on an infield hit. Hernandez brought Cox in with a base hit to right to give the Hornets a 9-4 lead.
 
Michael McCreless (0-2) lasted just 2.1 innings to take the loss. He was tagged for six runs on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Nate Sylvester, Cody Dodd, Tyler Wilburn and Grant Chandler pitched in relief.
 
Alabama State will conclude the regular season on Wednesday with a trip to Troy. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
 
 
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