Albany, Ga. - Albany State baseball started the season strong with a 9–4 victory over Georgia College, marking head coach Reggie Hemings' first win against the Bobcats. This win sets a positive tone for the season ahead.
The Golden Rams wasted little time putting pressure on Georgia College, breaking the game open with a three-run second inning.
David Kile jump-started the rally by ripping an RBI double to center field to bring home
Ty Grover. Moments later,
Isaiah Haygood continued his impressive day at the plate with an RBI single to push the lead to two.
Aiden Payne capped the inning with a productive groundout that allowed
Perry Usher to score, giving Albany State a 3–0 advantage.
Albany State added to the lead in the third inning when
Tyler Turner delivered the first big swing of the evening, launching a two-run home run that scored
Luke Addison and extended the margin to 5–0. Turner's blast energized the dugout and underscored the Golden Rams' aggressive approach early in the game.
Georgia College managed to scratch across a pair of unearned runs in the fifth inning, but Albany State's pitching staff remained composed. Starting pitcher
Quindon Wright delivered a strong opening performance, allowing just two runs—both unearned—over 4.2 innings while striking out five to earn his first win of the season.
The Golden Rams regained momentum in the seventh inning when
David Cooper singled into right-center to drive in
Luke Addison, pushing the lead to 6–2. After the Bobcats cut into the deficit with a two-run home run in the eighth, Albany State responded immediately and decisively.
Emory Stephens delivered a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, scoring
Aiden Payne, before Cooper put the game out of reach with a two-run single that plated Turner and Addison. Cooper finished the day with three RBIs, continuing a strong offensive showing that saw Albany State collect 17 hits.
Luke Addison had a standout performance from multiple roles, going 3-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored before closing the game on the mound.
Isaiah Haygood also turned in a near-perfect day, collecting three hits and an RBI, while Turner added two hits and two RBIs to anchor the lineup.
The Golden Rams' bullpen followed Wright with steady outings from
Calvin Baker,
Jeremiah Reddell,
Andrew Keown, and Addison, limiting Georgia College's scoring chances down the stretch and preserving the season-opening win.
Up Next, Albany State travels to Livingston, Ala., to compete in the UWA Invitational on Feb. 6–7. The Golden Rams will face host West Alabama on both Friday and Saturday before closing tournament play with a late-evening matchup against Augusta University.
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ABOUT ALBANY STATE ATHLETICS
Albany State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II-level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 11 sports: women's volleyball, women's tennis, women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, softball, men's and women's track and field, women's soccer, baseball, and football, with all teams competing in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), except women's soccer, which participates in the Peach Belt Conference.
