TUSKEGEE, Ala.- Savannah State improved their overall record to 18-15 and their conference mark to 15-8 following their doubleheader win over Tuskegee on Friday afternoon at Washington Field.

The Tigers won the first game 10-7 in ten innings as Kidane Stephens drove in four runs and pitchers Austin McCormack, Adonis Perez and Bynton Edge combined to strike out nine batters. In the second game, a 10-2 victory, Stephens drove in three more runs while Salvatore Urso and Noah Brown held the Tuskegee to two hits while recording eight strikeouts.

In the opener, the game was scoreless until Savannah State scored three times in the top of the fifth inning.

Gavin Jusino walked, Chandler Hicks was hit by a pitch and Jason Ramos singled to load the basepads for Noah Rodriguez who reached base on a fielder's choice while Jusino was out at home. After Hakem Smith struck out for the second out, Johan Sandoval hit a single that brought home Hicks. A walk to Stephens allowed Ramos to score and a single by Tyler Tucker scored Rodriguez for a 3-0 lead.

The Tigers followed that by adding three more runs in next inning to increase their margin to 6-0.

Jusino singled to left field, advanced to second on a wild pitch and stole third base. Following a walk to Rodriguez, Jusino scored on a passed ball. After a single to right field by Smith, Sandoval hit a single to left field that brought home Rodriguez and Smith.

In the eighth inning, Tuskegee made it a game by scoring seven runs off five hits to take a 7-6 lead.

Sandoval led off the top of the ninth with a double to left field and scored on a groundout by Stephens to tie the game at 7-7.

Rodriguez and Smith hit back-to-back singles to start the top of the tenth and a single to center field by Stephens brought home Rodriguez and Smith. Stephens came home on a sacrifice fly by Tucker for a three-run lead.

Tuskegee left the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning but were unable to score.

McCormack struck out four batters while giving up two hits and three runs in his seven innings while Perez was tagged for four hits and three runs in just one-third of an inning. Edge, who earned the win, finished the final 2.2 innings with four strikeouts while giving up two hits and no runs.

Stephens had four RBI and two hits, Sandoval had four hits and three RBI, Smith had two hits and scored twice, Tucker drove in two runs and Rodriguez scored three times.

After pounding out 14 hits in the first game, SSU only had five hits in the second game but managed to score ten times.

The Golden Tigers scored a run in the bottom of the first but Savannah State answered with the next ten runs.

SSU filled the bases in the third with Jan'i Belcher reaching base on an error by the shortstop, Ramos being hit by a pitch and Jayden Clark drawing a walk. Gabe Breckenridge was hit by a pitch which brought home Belcher, Ramos scored when Sandoval reached base on a fielder's choice and Clark came home on a sacrifice fly by Stephens for a 3-1 advantage.

The Tigers sent six runners across home plate on just one hit in the fourth with Smith, Belcher and Stephens scoring on wild pitches, Ramos scoring on a fielder's choice to the shortstop by Sandoval and Clark and Sandoval scoring on a double to center field by Stephens for a 9-1 edge.

Savannah State reached double figures in the top of the seventh when Yan Cartaya was hit by a pitch and later scored on a wild pitch.

Tuskegee added a run in the bottom of the inning to whittle Savannah State's lead to 10-2.

The Golden Tigers stranded ten men on base while making four errors.

Clark had three RBI while Breckenridge and Sandoval drove in two runs each. Clark, Belcher and Ramos all scored twice while Smith had three steals.

Urso lasted six innings on the mound and struck out five while surrendering five hits, one run and one walk. Brown pitched the final inning and gave up one run, one hit and one walk while recording three strikeouts.

SSU and Tuskegee will wrap up their weekend series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Washington Field.

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