MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The No. 1 Talladega College baseball team fell in a winner-take-all championship game 5-1 to No. 2 Bluefield State University today in the 2024 Black College World Series. Both teams agreed to the new format since Talladega is leaving tonight for the Opening Round of the NAIA Tournament. The Tornadoes are now 38-16 while Bluefield State closed the season out with a 32-15 mark.

Talladega got on the board in the bottom of the fourth after both teams went scoreless for the first three innings. It all started when Nomar Garcia and Jeriel Lamboy singled back-to-back with one out.  Garcia later scored off Armando Jackson's RBI single to right to make it 1-0 before the inning ended.

Bluefield State tied the game at one in the top of the fifth off a pair of singles and a double.

The game stayed tied for the next three innings but in the top of the ninth Bluefield State pushed four runs across the plate on five hits to take a 5-1 lead.

Talladega in the bottom half of the ninth loaded the bases with one out, but back-to-back outs ended the Tornado threat.

Reliever Juan De Dios took the loss (2-2).  He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits over 1.2 innings of work for Talladega. Starter Dewinel Vazquez allowed a run (earned) on two hits while fanning two in 4.1 innings of action.

Victor Rivera, Darlin Fernandez, Garcia, and Jahir Cruz each tallied two hits with Garcia scoring the only run for the Tornadoes. Cruz and Fernandez had the only two extra-base hits (doubles).

Talladega is back in action on Monday when it travels to Shreveport, Louisiana to face Blue Mountain Christian in the Opening Round of the NAIA Tournament at 11 a.m.