JACKSON, Miss. – A seven-run third inning propels the No.2 Talladega College baseball team to a 25-2 win over No. 1 Wiley College to capture the 2024 GCAC Baseball Championship title. The Tornadoes went undefeated with a 4-0 mark in this year's GCAC Tournament.
Winning the 2024 conference championship automatically qualifies Talladega for this year's NAIA Tournament. This will be the Tornadoes' fifth appearance in the NAIA Opening Round and first since 2019.
Nomar Garcia earned Tournament Most Valuable Player while teammates
Jeriel Lamboy,
Darlin Fernandez, and pitcher
Samuel Guadamuz earned All-Tournament team honors.
Heading into the top of the third up 3-0, the Tornadoes broke the game open as they plated seven runs on four hits. It all started when
Miguel Oropeza parked a solo home run over the wall in right field for his seventh of the season to make it, 4-0. Wiley looked to get back on track but it ended up walking Garcia, but he didn't stay on first long as he stole both second and third with no outs.
Isaac Guzman followed up with a walk to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch allowed Garcia to score push the lead to 5-0 and send Guzman to second.
With a runner on second and still no outs, Lamboy was plunked to reach first.
Armando Jackson's single to third loaded the bases for Talladega. Jackson was then lifted for a pinch runner
Jaquan Nieves. An RBI fielder's choice from
Eddie Velazquez scored Guzman and sent Lamboy to third. Nieves was out at second on the play for the first out of the frame. Lamboy scored to make it 7-0 off of
Jahir Cruz's fielder's choice. Velazquez was out second for the second out of the inning. Cruz then stole second before
Victor Rivera was walked to put two runners on. Both runners scored when Fernandez's double into left field pushed the lead to, 9-0. Oropeza, who got everything started drove in his second RBI of the inning when he singled home Fernandez to push the score to 10-0 before the inning ended.
Wiley got on the board in the bottom of the third when it pushed a run across on a pair of hits to trail, 10-1.
Talladega added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to go back in front by double digits but Wiley got a run back in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 12-2 game.
The Tornadoes made sure the game was locked down as it plated three runs in the fifth, six in the sixth, and four in the seventh.
The Tornadoes allowed just two runners to reach (both hit by pitches) throughout the last three innings.
Starting pitcher
Daniel Jose allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits over four innings of work. He fanned five to earn the win (6-2). Reliever
Helson Fernandez earned his second save of the season as he struck out three over three innings of action and did not allow a hit.
Talladega as a team registered 11 extra-base hits with four of them being home runs, six doubles, and a triple.
Fernandez was one of three hitters to tally three hits on the day. He finished the day going 3-for-5- with four runs scored, two RBIs, a triple, a home run, and a walk. His four runs scored tied for a team-high with three other players.
Both Guzman and Cruz each tallied three RBIs to pace the Tornadoes. They combined going 3-for-10 with five runs scored, six RBIs, two doubles, and a home run.
Talladega will find out on May 9 at 4 pm. CT during the NAIA Selection Show what Regional it will be in and who it will face to start the double-elimination round.
