BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | East Division No. 1 seed Alabama State rode the arm of senior
Breon Pooler (Huntsville, Ala.) and timely hitting to push past West Division No. 4 seed Texas Southern 4-3 on Thursday night at Regions Field in the final game of the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament.
After waiting an extra 24 hours and multiple rain delays, Alabama State (31-23) and Texas Southern (28-24) were locked in a pitcher's duel before
Christian Lopez (San Diego, Calif.) delivered a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth for a 1-0 lead.
Hunter May (Slidell, La.) added to the lead with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-0 lead.
Alabama State was held to seven hits by a pair of Texas Southern pitchers with
Kyler McIntosh (Columbus, Ind.) leading the way with going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
From there, Pooler (10-2) was in control as he finished the game going 7.1 innings allowing one run (earned) on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. He finished the contest with 96 total pitches with eight ground ball and eight fly ball outs.
Payton Harris (Hattiesburg, Miss.) came in to work the final 1.2 innings to earn his fourth save of the season.
How It Happened
- B4 | Lopez singled up the middle to drive in Dilan Espinal (Canovanas, PR) after a two-out triple (1-0, Alabama State).
- B5 | May collected a pair of RBI with a two-out single to score Ian Matos (Toa Alta, PR) and Cristopher DeGuzman (Fajardo, PR) to extend the lead (3-0, Alabama State).
- B7 | McIntosh and DeGuzman pulled off a double steal with McIntosh scoring on a throwing error (4-0, Alabama State).
- T8 | Roderick Coffee brought Texas Southern to within a run off reliever Osvaldo Mendez (Carolina, PR) with a three-run home run to left (4-3, Alabama State).
Up Next
The Hornets will face East Division No. 3 seed Bethune-Cookman, a winner over Grambling State on Wednesday, in a winner's bracket game on Friday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12 pm at Regions Field. The two teams met six times this season, splitting the season series, with each team winning the series on their home field.
Follow the Hornets
For complete coverage of Alabama State University baseball, follow the Hornets on social media @BamaStateBB (Twitter), /BamaStateSports (Facebook), @BamaStateSports (Instagram) or visit the official home of Alabama State athletics at BamaStateSports.com.
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