ATLANTA, Ga. – A big ninth inning leads the Spring Hill College baseball team to a 24-3 conference road win over Morehouse College this afternoon in SIAC action. The Badgers are now 30-14 and 24-4 in the conference, while the Maroon Tigers fall to 19-16 and 15-11.
Spring Hill wasted no time in the top of the first to get things rolling when both
Jatnier Torres and
Alex Roux hit back-to-back singles. Torres came around to score off
Jordan Black's RBI single to make it 1-0. Roux was able to advance to third on the play. He later scored off of Jaylan Jones' RBI fielder's choice to push the lead to 2-0.
Morehouse was able to tie the game at two in the bottom of the first on a hit and three errors.
The Badgers broke the tie in the second when they plated a run to go up 3-2 and then added three more in the third to push the lead to 6-2.
In the top of the fourth with one down, Jones walked and then stole both second and third to move 90 feet away from scoring. Following a strikeout,
Gavin Moran drove Jones in to make it a 7-2 game before the inning ended.
The Maroon Tigers cut the lead to four off an RBI single in their half of the fourth to trail 7-3.
Spring Hill added three more runs in the top of the fifth. It started when
Reggie Cooper walked and then stole second and third. He later scored on
Robby Lopez's sacrifice fly in foul ground to make it 8-3. With one down and bases empty, Torres belted a home run to push the lead to 9-3. Roux kept things rolling when he singled up the middle and then advanced to second on a passed ball. He then scored when Black singled up the middle to take a 10-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
The Badgers' pitching posted four straight scoreless innings, headed to the top of the ninth.
Spring Hill in the ninth broke the game wide open when it posted 14 runs on 10 hits and an error to take a 24-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth, where the bullpen allowed a pair of hits but no runs to secure the win.
Starting pitcher
Garrett Lott picked up the win, improving to 8-1. He went six innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits, while striking out two.
Reliever Donovan Monsee picked up his first save of the season. He allowed four hits and struck out one.
Roux paced all hitters, going 5-for-6 with four runs scored and two RBIs. Teammate Black finished the game going for 3-for-6 with five RBIs, a home run, and two runs scored.
Torres and Moran combined to go 6-for-9 with three RBIs, five runs scored, four walks, a double, and two home runs,
Both teams are back in action tomorrow at 11 a.m. for the doubleheader part of the series.
