SAVANNAH, Ga. – Savannah State baseball opened the 2020 season splitting a doubleheader with Brewton-Parker College.
 
The Tigers dropped the opening game to the Barons, 2-4, but picked up a solid 5-1 win in the second game of the day's doubleheader.
 
Savannah State heads into a three-game, non-conference series with the University of West Georgia on Saturday and Sunday. They return home on Feb. 14 and 15 for a three-game non-conference series with Embry-Riddle.
 
In Tuesday's opening game, Brewton-Parker drew first blood with a strong second inning. The Barons scored two runs on four hits for an early lead.
 
Savannah State responded in the bottom of the fourth. Luis Lamarche doubled to left field pushing Turner Davis to third—who reached after getting hit with a pitch. Andrai Wright reached on a fielder's choice that scored Davis. Cameron Diaz then brought in Lamarche on a sacrifice fly to right field, tying the game.
 
In the seventh, however, the Barons put up two more runs on two more hits to take a 4-2 lead. Savannah State hit three fly outs in the bottom of the inning to end the game. Lamarche led the Tigers from the plate in the opening game, going 2-for-3 with a double and a single.
 
Enrico Peele pitched four full innings for SSU, racking up a single earned run on seven hits with three strikeouts. Freshman Matthew Henderson, in relief for Peel, was tapped with the loss after 2.1 innings of work. He allowed one earned run on two hits.
 
Brewton-Parker's Trey Jones earned the win after 5.2 innings of work. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
 
In the second game, newcomer Ricky McCleod earned his first pitching win for Savannah State. McCleod pitched 5.2 innings, with one earned run on three hits and two strikeouts.
 
The Tigers struck first in the second game. Joseph Roberson reached on a single. After two strikeouts, Lamarche was hit with a pitch to put two runners on for SSU. Aaron Straker singled, scoring Roberson to lift SSU to a 1-0 lead.
 
Brewton-Parker was unable to answer through three innings. In the bottom of the third, SSU tacked on two more runs on four hits. SSU put up single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to seal the win. The Barons were able to tack one run on in the sixth, but otherwise sputtered at the plate. SSU had 10 hits in the second game to the Barons' three.
 
Freshman Rahmir Vaughn picked up a save for Savannah State after pitching in relief for 1.1 innings. Vaughn allowed no runs on no hits with two strikeouts in his debut appearance for the Tigers.
 
Straker led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two singles and two RBI. Roberson and Dwayne Franklin also had two hits apiece.