Game 1: Miles College 15 – Albany State 10
Miles College (25-21 overall) struck for nine runs in the first two innings and knocked off No. 1 NCAA Division II tourney seed Albany State (32-15) 15-10 Thursday in the Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series Game 5.
After there were just two home runs hit in four games Wednesday at spacious Riverwalk Stadium, the Golden Bears spanked a pair in the first two innings to build 9-0 and 10-0 leads that held almost into a 10-run rule situation. Then ASU rallied for five runs each in the sixth and eighth innings to make it a contest
Clifton Orr hit his second home run in two days (seventh of the year), and Jacob Bisharat blasted his ninth dinger of the year for the early advantage. Miles senior lefthander Kody Long advanced to a tourney-best 11-2 overall while working seven-plus innings and striking out seven.
Shortstop Hill Corley blasted three hits to lead the ASU attack while providing two RBI for the Golden Rams, which managed 13 hits to 15 by the winners. Albany State ace Jeremiah Reddell surrendered the Golden Bears first 10 runs and took his fourth loss of the season to go 8-4 with 6 2/3 innings of difficult mound labor and five strikeouts.
Game 2: Florida Memorial 14 – Edward Waters 1
Florida Memorial (25-21 overall) combined to tally 10 runs in the third and fifth innings to outscore Edward Waters (25-25) 14-1 Thursday in Game 6 of the Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series to start the event with a 2-0 record.
In the second 10-run rule result in sox tussles in the tourney, FMU took advantage of just 10 clutch hits and some EWU pitching wildness while scoring all its runs in the third, fifth (six runs) and sixth frames.
The Lions backed starting and winning pitcher Juan Raul Hernandez (6-6) with almost-errorless baseball, and shortstop Axel Gomez led the way on offense with two hits and three RBI. Gomez now has four hits in his first two contests in the series. Hernandez struck out four and did not yield a walk.
Edward Waters was limited to four hits, and Anthony Bayyat (1-3) was charged with the setback as EWU was beset by six walks and three hit batsmen to lead to four unearned runs.
Four schools with identical 0-1 records in the series tangle Thursday night with a 5 p.m. (CDT) Bluefield State vs. Kentucky State matchup and tentative 8 p.m. Rust vs. Talladega late nightcap. Friday’s four games begin at 9 a.m. (CDT) with opponents to be determined.
Game 3: Kentucky State 5 – Bluefield State 2
Kentucky State (23-23) used one of the best pitching performances of the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series to topple defending champ Bluefield State 5-2 in Game 7 of the series Thursday.
The Thorobreds also brought their tourney mark to 1-1 against BSU, the meet’s defending champion that dropped to 22-27 overall and 0-2 in the TFBCBWS.
Starters Dashawn Hureskin (now 4-5, tourney-high 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings) of KSU and Shawn Runey (3-5 with seven whiffs and seven hits allowed over six innings) of BSU were locked in the pitchers’ duel before Michael Pedraza posted his second save (and he team’s second of the year) by striking out four of the seven hitters he faced.
Antonio Chambers’ hit is what proved to be a decisive blow in the third inning with a two-run homer, his sixth of the year. KSU pounded out 10 hits with Collier Higgs gathering three to lead the way.
BSU’s Garrett Hladilek paced his squad with three safeties to give him five total hits for Bluefield State, which was eliminated.
Game 4: Rust College 5 – Talladega College 4
Tiny Rust College used a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth by winning relief pitcher (now 3-1 on the mound) D’Anfrenee Bonner Thursday night and Friday morning in Game 8 of the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series to edge Talladega College 5-4.
Rust (17-14-1) advances to meet Edward Waters Friday in the third elimination game of the 13-contest tourney Friday. Talladega (18-29) has finished its season.
Bonner came on in relief with one out in the top of the ninth and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam by throwing a double play grounder. Talladega tied the tussle earlier that inning with an RBI single.
The Bearcats relief ace then singled sharply up the middle with the bases loaded and two out for the winning RBI in his only hit in five trips to the plate. He started the game as Rust’s designated hitter.
Winston Garcia (2-4) was the hard-luck losing pitcher. Garcia hit a pair of batters and issued a walk in two innings on the hill.
Shortstop Victor Clay also was a hero for Rust with a double, single and two RBI while Talladega got a pair of hits from Barry Rincon and Isaac Guzman to highlight its seven-hit attack.
The Day 2 results find Florida Memorial (NAIA division) and Miles (NCAA Division II) as the only unbeaten squads in the joust at 2-0 with hopes of playing for the coveted championship trophy at 5 p.m. (CDT) Saturday.
Autographs were a hot item at Riverwalk Stadium on Thursday
Editor’s Note… story submitted by guest contributor “Bo” Carter, Executive Director of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.