MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State scored single runs in four innings and rode the arm of junior right hander
Darrius Wright to come away with a 4-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) victory over Jackson State Saturday night.
Wright (4-0) went a career-high seven innings against Jackson State (13-5, 6-2 SWAC) to pull the Hornets to within a game of the division-leading Tigers, and set up the rubber game of the series on Sunday afternoon. Wright finished the night allowing two runs – none earned – off of six hits, with a pair of walks and a pair of strikeouts on 117 pitchers.
The junior did not allow a leadoff man to reach for Jackson State to reach until the seventh, the inning in which they scored a pair of runs.
Alabama State (11-8, 5-2 SWAC) got on the board first in the second when
Cage Cox reached on a leadoff single through the right side, before advancing all the way to third on a
Chris Lewis single up the middle. The Hornets would score on a balk by Jackson State starter, Kevin Perez (3-1) for the 1-0 lead after two innings of play.
They would add another run in the third after
Santiago Garcia reached on a fielding error by Jackson State left fielder Dezmond Chumley misplayed a line drive, allowing the freshman to reach. He would later advance to third on a
Noel Cheneau double, before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Cox for the 2-0 lead.
The Hornets grew the lead to three when Lewis reached on a leadoff walk to start the fourth inning, before going to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Cristopher DeGuzman. He would advance to third on a wild pitch with
Joseph Estrada hitting, and would score on another wild pitch that walked Estrada for a 3-0 lead.
Ray Hernandez got what proved to be the winning run with a line drive home run to left with two outs in the fifth inning for a 4-0 Alabama State lead. Jackson State would score two in the seventh and another in the eighth, before the tying run was stranded at second on a game-ending strikeout by
Terrell McCall – one of four in two innings for the junior who picked up his second save of the season.
Hunter Phillips led Alabama State at the plate, going 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot for the Hornets, while Hernandez picked up a pair of hits on the night.
Alabama State and Jackson State meet Sunday afternoon at 1 pm in the rubber game of the series at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex. Admission is free, and the game can be heard on the Hornet Sports Network.
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