ALBERTVILLE, Ala. – Tennessee Southern erupted for 11 runs in the sixth inning and rolled to a 17–7 victory over Talladega College on Thursday night at Sand Mountain Park, securing the first win under head coach Braxton Morris.
The Firehawks struck first in the bottom of the second, capitalizing on pressure and patience at the plate. After Reagan Tomlin doubled down the left-field line and Anthony Pastrana worked a walk, Tennessee Southern plated the game's opening run on a balk. Moments later, Zach Chaney lined a two-run single up the middle to give the Firehawks a 3–0 advantage.
Talladega answered with two runs in the third to trim the lead, but Jake Stuteville kept Tennessee Southern in front with five steady innings on the mound, striking out nine and limiting Talladega to three runs.
The contest swung dramatically in the sixth inning. After Talladega briefly grabbed a 6–3 lead, Tennessee Southern responded with relentless offense. Masato Mizumori and Gage Beckner opened the frame with back-to-back singles, setting the table for a rally that featured clutch at-bats and capitalized on defensive miscues. Anthony Pastrana delivered a two-run single to ignite the comeback, followed by RBI contributions from Evan Nelson, Carter Phillips, Collin Perkins, Tomlin, Mizumori, and Devin Thrain as the Firehawks sent 15 batters to the plate and surged ahead for good.
Pastrana continued his big night at the plate, finishing with three hits and three RBIs, while Tomlin, Mizumori, Beckner, and Thrain each drove in a run during the decisive inning. Baron Cribbs and Zac Wilson added timely contributions off the bench as Tennessee Southern built a commanding lead.
On the mound, Braydon Kercado earned the win in relief, working 2.1 innings to steady the game after the sixth-inning surge, while Maxwell McHenry closed out the final outs.
After the game, Morris reflected on the milestone win, saying:
"What a day. I'm really proud of these guys. They've worked extremely hard this off season and really bought in to the mindset we've been establishing. RELENTLESS.
We've definitely got some areas to clean up, but I love how they compete no matter what. Hopefully we can continue to build on this one and stack days."
Tennessee Southern will look to carry the momentum into tomorrow, when the Firehawks face Talladega College again in a twin bill.
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