SHREVEPORT, La. – The Talladega College baseball team resumed its first game of the NAIA Opening round today after being suspended up 12-7 in the seventh yesterday due to weather. The Tornadoes advanced in the winner's bracket with a 20-7 win over Blue Mountain Christian. Talladega is now 39-16 while the Toppers fall to 31-22 on the year.
Going into the bottom of the second down 4-1, Talladega took the lead when it posted five runs on five hits. It all started when
Jeriel Lamboy drew a leadoff walk and then advanced to second off of
Jesuette Dominguez's single into left. Both runners later moved up a base each off of
Eddie Velazquez's sacrifice bunt to first. With one down and two runners in scoring position
Jahir Cruz's sacrifice fly to center allowed Lamboy to score to cut the lead in half. Dominguez was able to take third on the play. He later scored off
Victor Rivera's RBI single to right to make it a 4-3 game.
With two outs and down one, Talladega's
Darlin Fernandez tripled, allowing Rivera to score and tie the game at four. Fernandez later scored off
Miguel Oropeza's RBI single to third. An error by the third baseman allowed Oropeza to take second. He would score off Nomar Garica's single to left to push the lead to 6-4 before the inning ended.
The Toppers added a run in the fourth to cut the lead to one but Talladega answered in its half of the fourth when it pushed two runs across to go up, 7-5.
Talladega added another run in the fifth to make it 8-5 but Blue Mountain Christian pushed a pair of runs across in the sixth to make it a one-run game.
The Tornadoes added two runs in the sixth, six in the seventh, and three in the eighth to break the game open and go into the ninth up 20-7.
The Toppers go a man on in the ninth but couldn't do anything after that as Talladega secured the win to advance in the winner's bracket.
Starting pitcher
Jose Franco picked up the win to improve to 8-3 on the season. He allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits over four innings of work.
Garcia finished the game going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a team-high five RBIs, and a double. He was 1 of 5 hitters to tally two or more hits.
Rivera finished with a team-high four walks while tallying four runs scored with Fernandez and Oropeza.
Talladega faces Regional Host LSU Shreveport today at 3:30 p.m. CT.
