BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Alabama State pounded out 15 hits and scored nine runs with two outs on its way to earning a road win over Samford, 11-9 at J.L. Griffin Field Tuesday night.
Six different players picked up multiple hits, with the Hornets picking up nine extra base hits including home runs off the bat of
Hunter May and
Trenton Jamison.
Cristopher DeGuzman finished the night 3-for-4 with four runs batted in on a double and a triple, while May finished 3-for-4 for Alabama State (1-3).
Jabronski Williams, Jamison (three runs batted in),
Chris Lewis, and
Jayden Sloan each picked up a pair of hits on the night.
Alabama State started the scoring early when Lewis doubled in
Santiago Garcia for the 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, before adding four more in the top of the second highlighted by the two-run home run off the bat of Jamison for a 5-0 lead. After Samford added three in the bottom half of the inning to trim the lead to 4-3, the Hornets added two more in the fourth on a Jamison double and Lewis single for a 6-3 lead.
The two teams traded runs through much of the contest as Samford pulled to within a run at 8-7 after the sixth. The Hornets pushed the lead to 10-7 on a two-run triple from DeGuzman, before putting the game away in the top of the ninth on a solo home run by May.
Jordan Gould (1-0), the second of four pitchers on the night for Alabama State, earned the win after working 1.2 innings and allowed two runs off of one hit.
Payton Harris worked the final 2.0 innings, striking out four, to earn his first save.
The win ended a three-game winning streak in the series by Samford and is the first win for the Hornets in Birmingham since March 18, 2014.
Alabama State will play their home opener Saturday night at 6 pm against Eastern Michigan at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex. Due to COVID-19 protocols and socially distant seating, only those on the player pass list will be allowed to enter the venue, and masks are mandatory at Alabama State University.
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