Albany State blows 6-0 lead, falls to ABAC 14-12 on walk-off homer

TIFTON — Albany State did everything you need to do to win a baseball game Tuesday afternoon.

Jump out early. Swing it well. Answer runs.

And still, it wasn’t enough.

The Golden Rams raced out to a six-run lead before Abraham Baldwin recorded an out, but couldn’t hold it, falling 14-12 in 11 innings when former Crisp County standout Dylan Davis delivered a two-run walk-off homer.

It was the kind of game that felt over early — and somehow kept turning.

Albany State (22-15) came out swinging.

Luke Addison opened the game with a double, and after traffic quickly built on the bases, Ty Grover drove in two runs with a single up the middle. Moments later, David Cooper — a former Worth County star — turned on a pitch and sent it out for a grand slam, putting the Golden Rams in front 6-0 before ABAC could record an out.

But the Stallions never let it get away.

ABAC answered in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer from Davis and kept chipping away, trimming the lead piece by piece while waiting for another opening.

Albany State created breathing room again in the seventh.

With the game tightening, the Rams pushed across four runs — getting a two-run double from Mylon Uribe and a two-run single from Aiden Payne — to stretch the lead to 11-6.

Again, it felt like enough.

Again, it wasn’t.

ABAC responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning, then delivered the biggest swing of the night in the ninth.

Down to its final outs, the Stallions used a walk and a two-run single from Chasin Cash to tie the game at 11-11 and force extra innings.

Albany State had its chance to take control back in the 10th.

Payne and Grover opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and Emory Stephens followed with an RBI single to give the Rams a 12-11 lead. But Grover was thrown out at the plate trying to add another run — a play that loomed large moments later.

ABAC answered again in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 12-12 and sending it deeper into extras.

This time, Albany State had no response.

The Rams went quietly in the top of the 11th, and ABAC wasted no time ending it.

After a one-out walk, Davis stepped in and drove a pitch out to left-center, ending a back-and-forth battle that Albany State had controlled early but couldn’t finish.

Davis finished with four hits and four RBIs for the Stallions, who pounded out 19 hits in the win. Cooper drove in four runs for Albany State, while Grover added three RBIs and Payne finished with two hits and two RBIs.

For Albany State, it was a tough one to swallow — a game that started with complete control and slowly slipped away, inning by inning.

The Golden Rams will try to bounce back this weekend in their final home series of the regular season at Albany State West.

Albany State hosts Miles College in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the series finale Sunday at noon. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day, and the program will honor the 2016 Darton College State World Series team on the 10-year anniversary of its run.