TALLADEGA, Ala. – Despite outhitting the opponent 11-10, Tuskegee baseball fell to Talladega College, 14-11, on Tuesday afternoon in a midweek non-conference road affair.
Four Golden Tigers earned multiple hits on the day in
Julian Grier,
Jabari Johnson,
Nicholas Pratt, and
James Slaughter, each with two in the contest.
A sacrifice fly from
Stephon Wright put Tuskegee (0-4) on the board first in the opening inning, however Talladega responded in the bottom half of the frame with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1.
Tuskegee broke the game open in the top of the third, scoring eight runs on four hits to take a 9-1 lead. The biggest blow of the inning was a double from
Devon Lee that drove in two runs.
The Tornados scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a homer to left field, before Talladega regained the lead on a Tuskegee error and an RBI single. Darlin Fernandez homered to left later in the eighth for Talladega to take a 14-10 lead heading into the ninth.
The Golden Tigers scored a run in the final frame, as Slaughter started the inning off with a single before
Jaylen Hill entered the game as a pinch runner. Hill later scored on an RBI double, yet Tuskegee could not complete the comeback in the 14-11 loss.
Johnson also led the Golden Tigers with a team-high three runs batted in on the game, going 2-for-5 from the plate, followed by Lee and Wright. Meanwhile, eight total base runners crossed the plate for Tuskegee, led by Grier with two. The team had patience at the plate, piling up seven walks for the game, with
Harrison Barnes and
Scott Williams both drawing two. Grier and Slaughter
Ramses Ortega earned the win for Talladega on the mound, giving up three hits and one run over four innings, striking out six and walking one. Jack Wood got the start for the Tornados, allowing three hits and seven runs in two and one-third innings, striking out two and walking five.
Talladega collected ten total hits, with five batters combining for all ten. A Jackson led the Tornados with three runs batted in on the day, along with going 2-for-5 at the plate, while both N Garcia and V Rivera scored three runs.
