This weekend saw six teams sweep their scheduled series of games with some powerful performances at the plate and on the mound. Four of those matchups involved conference opponents.
Those weekend series included:
In the Large School Division…
No. 1 Jackson State took the weekend series over Alabama A&M winning the series opener 14-3, a Saturday afternoon game two win 16-0, and the series finale 6-2. The Tiger’s offense scored 36 runs during the SWAC conference matchup. Tiger pitching held the Bulldogs to five runs the entire series. A standout performance came from Nikelle Galatas. The junior tossed 7.1 innings and scattered four hits, allowed two runs and walked five while striking out nine batters.
No. 3 Alabama State found different ways to win as the Hornets completed a three-game sweep of No. 4 ranked Alcorn State with an 11-1 victory on Sunday after putting up double digit runs in both games in Saturday’s doubleheader winning 10-9 and 11-1. In the series opener, Jabronski Williams led Alabama State going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. Britt Buckelew (2-1) picked up the win in relief after pitching 4.2 innings and allowing six hits and three runs on the day.
No. 6 Florida A&M took three-games from MEAC Division foe No. 5 North Carolina A&T. FAMU swept the three-game series, 6-4, 4-3 and 12-7 and improved to 9-16 overall and 4-0 in the MEAC. LJ Bryant was impossible to keep off of the bases Sunday afternoon. The Rattler outfielder went 4-for-4 including a doubled and drove in five runs to power the Rattlers to a 12-7 win over visiting North Carolina A&T.
No. 8 Southern beat Arkansas Pine Bluff 11-7, 15-8 and 7-5 sweeping the three-game series at the Lone Star Diamond Classic in the Dr. Pepper Stadium in Frisco, TX. The Jaguars scored 33 runs over the weekend and improved to 9-12 overall and 7-2 in the SWAC.
In the Small School Division…
No. 1 West Virginia State swept Mountain East Athletic Conference member Fairmont State 7-0 and 12-3 to improve to 9-3 overall and 6-0 in conference play. In game one, a 7-0 win, Ethan Lauchart (2-0), in relief went 6.0 innings and recorded 4 strikeouts. Matt Williams belted two homers and scored four runs on the day.
No. 3 Xavier University of Louisiana completed a three-game sweep of No. 5 Rust by winning 2-1 and 4-0 in Saturday’s doubleheader after Friday’s 9-1 decision. The Gold Rush, playing long ball lately, have hit seven home runs in the past four games… three apiece by Tristan Rodriguez and Danny Coleman.
