ALBANY, Ga. – The Golden Rams used two different ways for two Saturday wins. Albany State received a Zane Ross walk-off single in the ninth and an 11-run first in the late contest to complete a SIAC baseball series sweep of Morehouse College, 6-5 and 19-5.
Tied at 5-5, Andrew McBride retired the Maroon Tigers in order in the top of the ninth. With two outs and Xander Little on second base, Ross lined a single to left field for the walk-off hit and winning run of Game 1. The Golden Rams did not wait for a walk-off of Game 2 as they put 14 hitters to the plate in the first inning and scored 11 runs, including a Bradley Smith 3-run round tripper.
Nathan Saavedra accounted for almost a quarter of the ASU hits on the day with a 4 for 6 outing with four runs, two home runs, and five RBI. The team's top two hitters – Jonathan Logsdon and Ross – had three hits apiece. Logsdon went 3 for 7 with a double, a home run, three runs, four RBI and a stolen base. Ross was 3 for 8 with two runs, a RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
Smith's lone hit of the second game was his 3-run home run. Luke Addison singled in each game with three runs and three RBI. Hill Corley and Austin Roberts both singled two times, while Carson Collier, Sebastian Griffeth, Seth Stargell, Little, Dominic Rutigiano and Emory Stephens chipped in a hit apiece.
McBride improved to 3-2 on the hill with the final three innings of scoreless work in the opener where he fanned six. Landon Kiefer (6-1) worked the first four innings of Game 2 where he gave up only one hit and one earned run with five strikeouts.
Game 1
Corley lofted a sac fly in the first inning and Saavedra led off the second with a solo shot to make it 2-1.
In the home fourth, Little drove in run number three. Morehouse (14-24) took its first lead with a pair of runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to make it 5-3.
For the bottom of the seventh, Saavedra went yard for the second time with a 2-run homer to tie the game at 5-5.
Game 2
Leading 11-0 in the home second, Logsdon connected for a 3-run homer to make it 14-0.
ASU returns to action on Wednesday afternoon (April 10) in a 4 p.m. first pitch against Georgia College.
