ATLANTA, Ga. | Jackson State advanced to the championship game of the 2024 Pepsi Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball Tournament sponsored by Chevrolet with a 4-2 victory over Bethune-Cookman at Russ Chandler Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Jackson State (36-19) bounced back from a one-run loss to the Wildcats on Friday to win the elimination contest. The Tigers outhit Bethune-Cookman (32-27) 13-6 on the day and used a three-run fifth inning to break open a scoreless tie.
Jordan McCladdie finished 3-for-5 for the Tigers while
Lenny Montesano went 3-for-4 and accounted for all four RBI on the day. Meanwhile,
Robert Tate Jr. finished 2-for-4 for the Tigers.
Je-andrick Lourens (4-3) picked up his second win of the tournament working 6.0 innings in the start and allowing just three hits on five strikeouts.
Brandon Haston and
CJ Lewis combined to work 2.0 innings, and
Christian Womble came in to slam the door in the ninth inning for his ninth save.
How It Happened
- (T5) Montesano hit a three-run blast to right to score Shemar Harris and McCladdie who reached on singles, Jackson State 3-0.
- (T7) Montesano delivered an RBI single to left center to score Rodney Hibler Jr. from second and chase Bethune-Cookman starter Tanner Boccabello with one out in the inning, Jackson State 4-0.
- (B8) Jose Gonzalez hit a two-run home run to left to cut the deficit in half, Jackson State 4-2.
Up Next
Jackson State advances to the championship game to face Grambling State on Sunday at 1 p.m.(ET) with the game shown on ESPN+.
Follow the Tigers
For complete coverage of Jackson State athletics, follow the Tigers on social media @GoJSUTigers (Twitter), /JacksonStateTigers (Facebook), @GoJSUTigers (Instagram), or visit the official home of Jackson State athletics at GoJSUTigers.com.
