Miles 15 – Albany State 10
Just four days after surrendering nine early runs to Albany State in an elimination game at the SIAC Championship, Miles returned the favor in jumping out to a 10-0 lead before holding on late and advancing to the Division II bracket championship.
With one out in the first, the Golden Bears went to work. Bisharat knocked in the first run with a single and Archie followed with a two-run double. The big blow, though, came from Orr, who went deep for the second straight game. His 3-run blast staked Miles to a 6-0 lead before the Golden Rams even came to the plate.
Miles wasn’t finished at the plate. Bisharat would hit his team-high 11th home run – a 3-run rocket – in the second to increase the lead. When Eli Snelson added a run-scoring single in the sixth for a 10-run lead, it looked as if Miles would steamroll Albany State. Long was rolling along as well, having allowed just one hit and striking out five through the first five innings.
But Albany State took advantage of a Miles error with two outs in the sixth to score five unearned runs to get back into the game. Things still looked good in the top of the eighth as Archie brought home two with a double to push the Golden Bears lead to 12-5. But Long started to run out of gas in the bottom of the inning and, with the help of another defensive miscue, the Golden Rams cut the deficit to 12-10 and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. But Drew Shackleford, on in relief, got the final out to preserve the lead.
The Golden Bears tacked on some big insurance runs in the ninth. Bitner drove in another run with a single and a bases-loaded walk to William Johnson sandwiched a run that scored on a passed ball that pushed the lead back to five runs. Tyler Allen nailed down the ninth inning to preserve the win for Miles and Long (11-2), who pitched 7 1/3 inning and allowed just two earned runs while striking out seven.
Florida Memorial 14 – Edward Waters 1
Five different Florida Memorial University batters had two hits each senior pitcher Juan Raul Hernandez threw a complete game three-hitter as the Lions cruised to a 14-1 victory over rival Edward Waters University in seven innings Thursday afternoon in the winner’s bracket game of the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College World Series at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.
The No. 1 seed in the NAIA division Florida Memorial, remains unbeaten and stays in the winner’s bracket – where it will wait to face the winner of the loser’s bracket elimination game (either Edward Waters or the winner of the first loser’s bracket elimination game between Rust College and Talladega College) on Friday afternoon.
Kentucky State 5 – Bluefield State 2
Kentucky State (23-23) used one of the best pitching performances of the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series to topple defending champ Bluefield State 5-2 in Game 7 of the series Thursday.
The Thorobreds also brought their tourney mark to 1-1 against BSU, the meet’s defending champion that dropped to 22-27 overall and 0-2 in the TFBCBWS.
Starters Dashawn Hureskin (now 4-5, tourney-high 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings) of KSU and Shawn Runey (3-5 with seven whiffs and seven hits allowed over six innings) of BSU were locked in the pitchers’ duel before Michael Pedraza posted his second save (and he team’s second of the year) by striking out four of the seven hitters he faced.
Antonio Chambers’ hit is what proved to be a decisive blow in the third inning with a two-run homer, his sixth of the year. KSU pounded out 10 hits with Collier Higgs gathering three to lead the way.
BSU’s Garrett Hladilek paced his squad with three safeties to give him five total hits for Bluefield State, which was eliminated.
Rust College 5 – Talladega College 4
Rust College used a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth by winning relief pitcher D’Anfrenee Bonner Thursday night and Friday morning in Game 8 of the 2022 Tyson Foods Black College Baseball World Series to edge Talladega College 5-4.
Rust (17-14-1) advances to meet Edward Waters Friday in the third elimination game of the 13-contest tourney Friday. Talladega (18-29) has finished its season.
Bonner came on in relief with one out in the top of the ninth and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam by throwing a double play grounder. Talladega tied the tussle earlier that inning with an RBI single.
Courtesy: Black College Nines, Miles Athletics and Florida Memorial Athletics
