MARSHALL, Texas – The Talladega College baseball team dropped its first conference game of the season in a 16-6 run-rule loss to Wiley University this afternoon on the road. The Tornadoes are now 20-8 and 14-1 in the conference while the Wildcats are now 17-11 and 9-4. Talladega won the series 2-1 this weekend.
Trailing 8-1 after four innings of play, the Tornadoes were able to cut the lead to five in the top of the fifth. It started when
Armando Jackson doubled down the left field line and then was lifted for pinch runner
Jeriel Lamboy. He later scored off Jederick Velazquez's RBI single too short to make it, 8-2. Following a pair of failed pickoffs, Velazquez moved to second on a ground out to third. With two outs,
Victor Rivera's RBI double to the gap in right-center scored Velazquez from second to make it an 8-3 game before the inning ended.
Wiley was able to get one of the two runs back to push its lead to 9-3 but in the top of the sixth Talladega scored on a two-out RBI infield single to make it, 9-4.
The Wildcats added four runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth to increase their lead to, 13-4.
Talladega in the seventh added a pair of runs off a two-run home run to right-center off of the bat of
Miguel Oropeza to cut the lead to 13-6 following Rivera's triple to left-center. The Tornadoes then were able to load the bases on a double and a pair of walks with two outs but were unable to capitalize on it as the Wildcats ended the threat on a strikeout to end the frame.
The Wildcats added two runs in their half of the seventh and then after shutting out Talladega in the top of the eighth. Wiley tallied a run in the eighth to secure a 16-6 run-rule victory.
Starting pitcher
Daniel Jose dropped to 2-2 on the season. He allowed two hits and two runs over two innings of work. Reliever
Samuel Guadamuz finished with a team-high five strikeouts.
Rivera finished the day going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI, a triple, and a double. Teammate Oropeza was 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored.
Talladega is back home with a doubleheader on Thursday when it hosts Oakwood University in another conference series. Game one starts at noon with game two to follow.
