Frankfort, Kentucky-The weather system that affected much of the Southeastern U. S., affected the road SIAC baseball series for Edward Waters against Kentucky State. An originally scheduled, three-game Saturday-Sunday series had to be adjusted to a Sunday doubleheader due to the weather. The delay seemingly did wonders for the Tigers as they were able to come up with a much needed sweep of both games by scores of 17-9 and 9-8 to move their record back to 9-9 and 4-4 in SIAC play.

GAME ONE: Edward Waters 17, Kentucky State 9:
Edward Waters got to work early in the top of the first inning, pushing five runs across the plate. A bases loaded walk to Torry Jones brought home Dave Mitchum for the first run of the game. Leonel Garcia later connected on a two-RBI single and on a KYSU error, Jones would score to make it a 4-0 lead, and Garcia later stole home to give the Tigers a commanding 5-0 lead.

In the top of the third, the Purple & Orange added four more runs. A Thorobreds wild pitch scored Daiton Pass, another bases loaded walk to Anthony Roman scored Hugo Schoening, and a Daquarius Thompkins two-RBI double made it a 9-0 EWU lead. The Thorobreds got on the board in the bottom of the third, cutting the lead to seven with a two-run homer to make it a 9-2 ballgame. Kentucky State added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on an RBI groundout and a two-RBI homer to cut the Tiger lead to 9-5.

The Tigers got back on the board in the top half of the sixth inning when Leonel Garcia connected on a three run homer over the left field wall to stretch the Tiger lead out to 12-5, but Kentucky State would not go away. An RBI single from the Thorobreds in the bottom of the sixth cut the Tiger lead back down to six at 12-6.

EWU had their second big inning in the top of the ninth with five more runs coming home. A Roman RBI single, a Thompkins RBI sacrifice fly, an RBI double from Isaiah Montes, and Garcia's two-RBI double gave EWU their biggest lead of the game at 17-6. Kentucky State would bring the lead back down in the bottom of the ninth on a three-run homerun, but the Tigers were able to cruise to 17-9 victory that snapped their brief two-game losing skid. 

Leonel Garcia had one of his best outings in his EWU career, finishing a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Garcia turned in a 5-for-6 performance with a double, a homerun, and an amazing seven RBI's in the game. Alexander Davila, who made his return to the lineup after an injury, finished the contest going. 5.0 innings, allowing nine hits, six earned runs, one walk, and struck out four to take the victory.

GAME TWO: Edward Waters 9, Kentucky State 8:
The Tigers would once again draw first blood with an RBI sacrifice from Misael Ramos that scored Dave Mitchum to give the Purple & Orange a 1-0 lead. KYSU would quickly take the lead with five runs scoring to take a 5-1 lead. The Thorobreds would add another run in the the bottom of the second on a solo homer to make it a 6-1 KYSU lead.

Edward Waters would respond in the top of the third with three runs of their own. A Daquarius Thompkoins RBI double, and a two-run homer from Isaiah Montes cut the KYSU lead down to two at 6-4. Kentucky State brought a run back in the top half of the third on an RBI sac fly to push the advantage back out to three at 7-4. 

In the top of the fourth, J. C. Medina hit an RBI single to left field that would once again bring the Tigers within two of the lead, but KYSU responded with an RBI single of their own to make it an 8-5 lead. The Tigers clawed back in the bottom of the sixth when J. C. Medina and Misael Ramos hit RBI sac flys to cut the deficit down to one at 8-7.

Edward Waters was down to their final strike in the bottom half of the seventh, when Caden Hutchinson turned on a pitch and sent it over the left field wall for a two-run homerun that gave the Tigers the lead a 9-8. EWU would sit the Thorobreds down in order in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 9-8 victory and a doubleheader sweep.

Mitchum, Hutchinson, and Schoening would each have two hits for Edward Waters in the contest, with Montes, Hutchinson, and Medina each having two RBIs.  Anthony Bayyat would take the win for the Tigers on the mound, going 5.1 innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, two walks, and struck out six.

Edward Waters returns home on Saturday and Sunday for a three-game SIAC East Division matchup with Morehouse College. A doubleheader starts the series on Saturday at 1:00pm, followed by a single game on Sunday at 1:00pm. All three-games will take place at Ridgeview High School in Orange Park.

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