MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Darren Kelly set a new school record for strikeouts in a single game and he combined with Channing Walker on a one-hit shutout of Southern, as the Hornets claimed a 14-0 victory Friday night at the Wheeler-Watkins Complex.
 
Kelly (1-0) went seven hitless innings and struck out 16 batters en route to picking up his first win. The total sets a new school record set by TJ Renda of 15 against Chicago State back on February 15, 2013.
 
Walker came on in the eighth and finished the game, working two innings and allowing one-hit – a lead off single in the top of the ninth inning – while striking out five.
 
Meanwhile, the Hornets offense exploded for 14 runs – nearly matching their total from the first five games combined. Alabama State started quickly as they got five runs in the first two innings combined, beginning with a pair in the bottom of the first highlighted by a Hunter Allen RBI single to push the lead to 2-0. In the second, Alabama State used a two-run triple from Joseph Estrada – his third of the season – to push the lead to 4-0, and then a sacrifice fly from Yamil Pagan to push it to 5-0.
 
But they weren't done there as they added two more in the fourth to push it to 7-0 on an RBI single from Estrada and an RBI double from Pagan. The Hornets added one more run in the fifth before exploding for six in the seventh.
 
The inning started with a two-run homerun by Ray Hernandez – his second of the season – that pushed the lead to 10-0, before Estrada picked up another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Pagan picked up another RBI with a single to short to push the lead to 12-0, followed by a two-run single from Cage Cox.
 
Noel Chenau went 4-for-4 in his collegiate debut for the Hornets, scoring three runs. Hernandez finished the day 3-for-5 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and a pair of runs batted, while Estrada finished with a pair of hits and four runs batted in. Pagan added a pair of hits and three runs batted in, while Cox and Allen each finished with a pair of hits.
 
Alabama State and Southern meet in a doubleheader Saturday at the Wheeler-Watkins Complex, with first pitch scheduled for 1 pm.
 
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