DI/SWAC/Baseball
ASU Sports Information
LORMAN, Miss. – The pitching of T.J. Renda and Joseph Camacho were dominant in leading the Alabama State baseball team to a Sunday doubleheader sweep at Alcorn State.
The Hornets defeated Alcorn State 4-0 and 8-1 at McGowan Stadium, as Renda and Camacho allowed just eight hits and one run over 15 innings.
“Both of them worked ahead in the count,” Alabama State head coach Mervyl Melendez said. “They made great pitches when they needed to.”
The final game of the series is Monday at 1 p.m.
Game 1 – Hornets 4, Alcorn State1: Renda went seven innings, allowing four hits and one run, walking two and striking out three. Armando Ruiz pitched a scoreless, hitless ninth for his third save.
Cesar Rivera, the reigning SWAC Player of the Week, hit a solo homer in the third to break a scoreless tie. In the fifth, P.J. Biocic hit a two-run single, scoring Hunter Allen and Yamil Pagan, who each led off with singles.
The Hornets added an insurance run in the ninth. With two outs, Rivera and Biocic walked. Einar Muniz then singled, scoring Rivera.
Game 2 – Hornets 8, Alcorn State 0: Camacho allowed four hits, walked one, and struckout nine over eight innings, while Chris Biocic and Waldyvan Estrada combined to drive in six runs in the nightcap.
After a scoreless first three innings, the Hornets scored at least one run in five of the final six innings. In the fourth, Chris Biocic doubled, moved to third on a fly out and scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
In the sixth, Muniz and Chris Biocic walked. After each player advanced to third and second, respectively, on a passed ball, Estrada’s single scored Muniz, while Biocic was able to score later on the play for a 3-0 Hornet lead.
Muniz came up big again with two outs, as his single scored Ray Hernandez, who had pinch ran for Gustavo Rios, who singled, to extend to a 4-0 lead.
In the eighth, Chris Biocic tripled and scored on a RBI single by Estrada. Hernandez’ two-out double scored P.J. Harris, who singled, to give Alabama State a 6-0 lead.