Southern rallies to beat Alcorn 8-4 in SWAC baseball opener

LORMAN, Miss. — Southern (La.) scored five runs in the seventh inning to erase a two-run deficit and defeated Alcorn 8-4 in the opening game of a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series Friday night at Willie E. “Rat” McGowan Stadium.

The Jaguars (16-20, 9-6 SWAC) trailed 4-2 heading into the seventh before designated hitter Glenn Green III cleared the bases with a triple to right-center, scoring three runs and giving Southern a lead it would not relinquish. The triple capped a five-run inning that put the Jaguars ahead for good.

Alcorn (8-30, 2-14 SWAC) had led early, taking a 3-1 advantage through three innings. First baseman Cooper Harris contributed with a two-RBI single in the third before leaving the game due to injury. Right fielder Keatan Hawk added an RBI double in the fifth to extend the lead to 4-2. However, Southern responded in the seventh with a two-RBI single from Jaylon Lucky and Green’s triple, which pushed the score to 8-4.

Southern’s starting pitcher Bobby Spencer earned the win, pitching six innings and allowing four runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Caleb Ellis closed the game, allowing no runs in three innings for his fourth save of the season. José Cherena took the loss for Alcorn, giving up four runs in 3.1 innings out of the bullpen.

Green led Southern offensively, going 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs. KJ White went 3-for-5 with a stolen base, and Ryan Hunter was 2-for-4 with two runs and two stolen bases. Harris went 2-for-2 before leaving the game, and Jaylyn Bennett finished 2-for-5 at the plate.

The two teams are scheduled to return to McGowan Stadium on Saturday for game two at 2 p.m. CDT. Follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports), Instagram (@AlcornSports), and YouTube (Braves Sports Network) for updates and behind-the-scenes coverage.

Source: Original Article