TALLADEGA, Ala. – The Talladega College baseball team swept a doubleheader against conference foe Rust College with an offensive explosion of 42 runs combined in both games. The Tornadoes took game one with a 30-3 win and claimed game two with a 12-2 victory. With the wins, Talladega has claimed the series and will go for the sweep tomorrow.
Talladega is now 6-8 on the season and is 2-0 in conference action while Rust falls to 1-14 and 0-2 in the GCAC.
The final game of the three-game home series is set for noon tomorrow.
Game One: Talladega 30, Rust 3 – 7 Innings
After Rust posted a scoreless top of the first, Talladega unloaded as it posted 12 runs on eight hits while taking advantage of six errors. Out of the eight hits, only one was an extra-base hit (double).
Going into the bottom of the third, the Tornadoes posted four runs on two hits. It all started when
Victor Rivera walked and later moved to second when
Darlin Fernandez singled to right. Back-to-back wild pitches allowed Rivera to score and send Fernandez to third with no outs to make it, 14-0.
Miguel Oropeza walked to put runners on the corners. A fielder's choice by
Armando Jackson allowed Fernandez to cross home to make it, 15-0. Oropeza was out at second. Following a strikeout for the second out of the inning. Jackson scored off of
Jose Santiago's RBI triple before the inning ended.
Talladega posted another four runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it, 20-0.
Rust was able to break through in the top of the fifth when it plated a pair of runs to make it, 20-2. The Tornadoes got the two runs back plus two more when it scored four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to go up, 24-2.
Rust added a third run in the top of the sixth and Talladega tacked on another four in the bottom of the inning. The Tornadoes posted six more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 30-3 lead.
Talladega posted six extra-base hits with two of them being triples and four being doubles.
Oropeza finished the game going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs, four runs scored, a triple, and a walk. He was 1-of-6 players to have multiple hits.
Fernandez was the other Tornado to have three hits and four runs scored on the day. He tallied a double in the process.
Outfielder
Jahir Cruz tallied a team-high six runs scored.
Starting pitcher
Jose Franco picked up the win to improve to 2-1. He scattered five hits over five innings of work while allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out seven.
Game Two: Talladega 12, Rust 2 – 7 innings
The Talladega offense carried over to game two as it took an early 4-0 lead after the first.
Rust cut the lead in half in the top of the second to make it 4-2, but the Tornadoes answered in the bottom of the second.
Isaac Guzman got things started when he was hit by a pitch and then stole second. A wild pitch allowed him to move to third. Rivera drew the free pass to put runners on the corners with no outs. Following a strikeout, Rivera stole second to put both runners in scoring position. Both runners later scored off Oropeza's triple to the right-center field gap to make it, 6-2. Following a groundout for the second out of the inning,
Rafael Diaz singled to right to score Oropeza. Diaz then scored off Santiago's two-run home run to straightaway center to push the lead to, 9-2.
Talladega tacked on two runs in the bottom of the third and another run in the bottom of the fourth to push its lead to, 12-2.
The Tornado bullpen allowed just one base runner off a walk while striking out three.
Starter
Samuel Guadamuz went five innings allowing two runs on five hits while fanning 11 to earn the win.
Diaz and Oropeza combined going 6-for-8 with four runs scored, six RBIs, and a triple.
