Texas Southern baseball started off the 2022 season on the right note as they swept Arlington Baptist in a doubleheader on Friday.
TSU 12, ARLINGTON BAPTIST 0
Tyrese Clayborne went 3-for-3 with three stolen bases and two RBI while Jordan Martinez struck out nine as TSU won the opener 12-0.
TSU broke open a scoreless third as Clayborne led the inning off with a single and stole two bases. Newcomer Johnathan Thomas doubled home the first run of 2022 followed by an RBI from Justin Cooper. The bases would eventually load and Cooper caused the crowd to rise to its feet as he stole home for a 3-0 lead. Gabe Vasquez would draw a walk and a wild pitch crossed home Jeremy Gaines for the fourth run. Avery Chatman closed the inning out with a sac fly for the 5-0 margin.
Jeremy Almaguer, CJ Castillo and Clayborne each drove in two RBI in the fourth to put the game out of reach as TSU led 11-0. Starter Jordan Martinez kept ABU from finding an offensive groove with seven innings of scoreless baseball while also allowing only four hits.
Martinez struck out nine batters while Clayborne had three hits. Gaines also had two hits while Almaguer, Castillo and Clayborne drove in two RBI apiece.
TSU 13, ARLINGTON BAPTIST 0
Four pitchers combined to strikeout 12 batters while Jeremy Almaguer belted out three hits and four RBI as TSU won the nightcap 13-0.
Jeremy Gaines scored the game’s first runs with an RBI double which scored Johnathan Thomas and Justin Cooper. Cooper recorded a sac fly in the second for a 3-0 lead while Gabe Vasquez hit an RBI triple in the third. CJ Castillo logged a sac fly one batter later as TSU led 5-0 entering the third.
The Tigers added two runs in the fourth and broke the game open with a four-run sixth led by Almaguer’s three-RBI single and Roderick Coffee’s RBI single for an 11-0 lead. Vasquez had another RBI triple and scored one batter later for the final two runs of the contest.
Almaguer finished 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs while Gaines and Clayborne had a pair of hits. Lane Gordon struck out five in his first start while George Osbourne, Adolf Castillo and A.J. Winger all struck out two or more batters in relief.