TIFTON – The ABAC Stallions pushed across five runs in a big third inning and knocked off the Middle Georgia Knights in the third game of their Southern States Athletic Conference series Saturday at Stallion Field. ABAC dropped the first game of the day, 4-2.
Saturday's split keeps the Stallions in fourth place in the conference with a 12-9 record and they are 22-11 overall.
Junior
Reigh Jordan earned his fourth win of the year, pitching all nine innings while allowing six hits and striking out eight. ABAC trailed early as the Knights scored a single run in the second inning before the home team took the lead for good with a huge third inning.
Shortstop Quentin Rawls's leadoff single started the rally and he moved to third when Cam Campbell's grounder was misplayed by the Knights' shortstop. But a more crucial MGA error caused more damage as third baseman Chaz Salter misplayed
Brayden Fordham's grounder, allowing both Rawls and Campbell to score. Fordham advanced to third on the error and scored on
Joe Fisher's single for a 3-1 lead.
Third baseman
Chasin Cash doubled before second baseman
Harrison Childers had a two-run single for a 5-1 lead. After Middle Georgia scored one run in the fifth inning on and RBI groundout from Datren Bray, ABAC got it back in the sixth when Childers tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Along with Childers, Cash also had two hits.
In the opener, Middle Georgia led 2-0 before the Stallions tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Rawls walked, stole second, and moved to third on a single from Campbell. Cris Walley brought in one run with an RBI single and, with two outs,
Joe Cooney scored Campbell with a single to make it 2-2.
The Knights' Yadiel Perez reached ABAC starter
Kade Haywood for an RBI single in the fifth to regain the lead. In the seventh, the Knights added some insurance when Bray reached base on an error and scored on ABAC's second error of the inning for the 4-2 final margin. ABAC had only five hits against Middle Georgia's Ethan Gill, who got the win. Haywood took the loss, allowing nine hits and three earned runs over 6 1/3 innings, striking out six.
The Stallions return to the road next weekend for a three-game conference series against Tennessee Southern in Pulaski, Tenn. ABAC will play a doubleheader Friday at 4 p.m. followed by a single game Saturday at 1 p.m.
