DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. --Senior Cristian Lopez and sophomore Jamal George each racked up three hits to help power the Alabama State Hornets past the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 9-6 on Thursday.
Sophomore Alex Burden (4-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Alabama State (27-24, 17-11). The left-hander went one inning, giving up two runs, both of them earned, on three hits, allowing one walk and striking out two. Sophomore Jorhan Laboy also pitched well, going four shutout innings while allowing four hits, walking one and striking out four.
In addition to his three hits, George had a double to lead the Hornets. Lopez added two RBI to his three-hit performance as well. Senior Ali LaPread also chipped in for Alabama State, putting together two hits in four trips to the plate while adding a home run, a walk and three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 1-0, the Hornets first put runs on the board in the third inning. Alabama State's offense produced a three-run output that included back-to-back homers from LaPread and freshman Juan Cruz.
The Hornets lost the lead they built in the third but got back on the board in the fourth trailing 4-3. Alabama State plated two runs off of Bethune-Cookman pitching, punctuated by a run-scoring double off the bat of freshman Quentin Jenkins, which brought the Hornets lead to 5-4.
Alabama State's lead had disappeared by the time the fifth inning came around and turned into a 6-5 Bethune-Cookman advantage when the Hornets re-gained control at 7-6. The Hornets notched two runs when a single from Lopez scored senior Jack Hay and George.
Alabama State kept the Wildcats scoreless before expanding their lead in the eighth inning. Lopez and freshman Isaiah Landry each scored a run for the Hornets in the inning, bringing the score to 9-6 in favor of Alabama State. The score remained 9-6 for the rest of the game, as the Hornets held on for the win.
GAME NOTES
» Alabama State got three-hit games from both George and Lopez.
» Alabama State's highest-scoring inning was the third when it pushed three runs across.
» Five Hornets had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» Alabama State went 4-for-12 (.333) with runners in scoring position.
» Alabama State pitchers faced 45 Bethune-Cookman hitters in the game, allowing nine ground balls and 10 fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Hornets drew four walks from Bethune-Cookman pitching.
» LaPread led the Hornets at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
» Bethune-Cookman was led offensively by senior Garrett Chun, who went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and two RBI.
» Senior Dale Michaud led the Wildcats pitching staff, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings.
