TALLADEGA, Ala. – The Talladega College baseball team swept a conference doubleheader against visiting Southern University at New Orleans this afternoon. The Tornadoes took both games by the same score of 8-0 to improve to 10-9 and 6-1 on the season. SUNO falls to 4-10 and 0-2 in the conference.
Talladega continues the homestand on Tuesday, March 5 for a non-conference game against the University of Tennessee Southern. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
Game 1: Talladega 8, SUNO 0 – 7 innings
After a scoreless first and second inning for both teams, Talladega posted two runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 4-0 lead.
The Tornadoes broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth when it pushed its lead to, 8-0. It all started when
Nomar Garcia walked to lead things off and later moved to off of
Isaac Guzman's single to left. Both runners then moved up a base off of a sac but for the first out of the frame. With one down, SUNO looked to turn a double play at any base as it decided to intentionally walk
Armando Jackson to load the bases. He later was lifted for a pinch runner.
Juan Gonzalez's RBI single to left scored Garcia to push the lead to 5-0 with one down. Guzman and pinch runner
Jeriel Lamboy both scored when
Jahir Cruz doubled to left center to make it, 7-0. Gonzalez moved to third on the play. Gonzalez scored off of
Victor Rivera's RBI single pushed the fourth run of the inning across before the frame ended.
Talladega tallied 12 hits in the game with four players having at least two hits while registering seven stolen bases as a team.
Rivera finished the day going 2-for-4 with a run scored, and two RBIs. Cruz also tallied two RBIs while collecting the team's only extra-base hit (double) for the game.
Starting
Jose Franco threw a complete game to pick up the win (3-1). He allowed just six hits, and no walks while striking out five.
Game 2: Talladega 8, SUNO 0 – 7 innings
Talladega took a 1-0 lead after the first and then posted three runs on two hits in the bottom of the second with two outs. Jose Santago got things started when he singled to right then stole second. Back-to-back walks for Cruz and
Victor Rivera loaded the bases. Santiago and Cruz crossed the plate when
Jaylen Mateo doubled to left to make it, 3-0.
Miguel Oropeza kept the inning going when he walked. A wild pitch allowed Mateo and Oropeza to move up 90 feet and let Rivera score to put Talladega up 4-0 before the inning ended.
The Tornadoes added two runs in the fourth, a run in the fifth, and a run in the sixth to take an 8-0 lead.
Samuel Guadamuz got the start on the hill for Talladega. He scattered three hits over six innings while striking out seven and allowing three walks. Guadamuz picked up the win to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Mateo finished the game going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored, a walk, two doubles, and a stolen base.
Oropeza registered two walks, two RBIs, a home run, a run scored while going 1-for-1.
