TUSKEGEE, Ala. — Tuskegee baseball closed out its weekend conference series on a high note, rallying late to defeat Savannah State 14-8 on Saturday afternoon at Washington Field.
With the win, the Golden Tigers finish the three-game series 1-2 and improve to 10-24 overall, while Savannah State moves to 19-15.
Savannah State struck first in the top of the second inning when Chandler Hicks connected on a solo home run to left field to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The Tigers added to their advantage later in the inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting to extend the lead to 3-0.
Tuskegee responded in the bottom half of the second inning with a big offensive frame. After loading the bases, Rashid Mcleod delivered a clutch double to left field that drove in three runs to tie the game. The Golden Tigers continued to apply pressure on the basepaths and pushed across another run in the inning to take a 4-3 lead.
Savannah State answered in the top of the third as Tyler Tucker hit a solo home run to left field, evening the score at 4-4. The visitors regained the lead in the fifth inning behind timely hitting, including a two-RBI single from Jason Ramos that made it 6-5.
Tuskegee began to shift momentum in the sixth inning as Mcleod and Ryan Morrow sparked the offense with consecutive hits. Morrow delivered an RBI single to center field to tie the game, and the Golden Tigers took advantage of defensive opportunities to move ahead 7-6.
The game turned in Tuskegee's favor in the seventh inning when the Golden Tigers put together a decisive rally. Morrow once again delivered with an RBI single, and Jabari Johnson followed with a run-scoring hit to extend the lead. A hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded brought in another run, giving Tuskegee a 10-8 advantage.
Tuskegee added critical insurance runs in the eighth inning, putting together its largest offensive surge of the day. Zion Ashby and Chris Smith helped ignite the rally with key hits, while McLeod continued his strong performance with another RBI single. The Golden Tigers plated four runs in the inning to extend the lead to 14-8.
On the mound, Tuskegee's pitching staff settled in late and shut down Savannah State over the final two innings, preventing any comeback attempt and securing the victory.
Tuskegee finished the game with 14 runs on 15 hits, using timely hitting and aggressive base running to create scoring opportunities throughout the afternoon. Savannah State recorded 8 runs on 13 hits, highlighted by home runs from Hicks and Tucker and a multi-RBI performance from Ramos.
UP NEXT
The Golden Tigers will return to action in a midweek non-conference road matchup against Division I opponent Alabama A&M.
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.