Albany State rallies late, but falls to Middle Georgia, 9-6

COCHRAN — Albany State dug itself an early hole Monday afternoon and could never quite climb out.

Middle Georgia State scored five runs in the first two innings and held off a late Golden Rams rally to claim a 9-6 win at Stuckey Field. 

Albany State (10-6) trimmed the deficit late with three runs in the eighth inning and another in the ninth, but left several opportunities on the bases throughout the afternoon.

“We did not get off to a good start and found ourselves down 5-1 due to free passes,” Albany State head coach Scot Hemmings said. “We had several chances to get back in it but left the bases loaded twice. Our pitching settled down and we had chances in the eighth and ninth innings to tie it but did not get the big hit.”

The Golden Rams struck first in the opening inning when Isaiah Haygood drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Aiden Payne.

But Middle Georgia State (5-14) responded immediately. Patrick Crosby delivered a two-run single in the bottom of the first and another run scored on a defensive miscue to give the Knights a 3-1 lead.

The Knights extended the advantage in the second when Mikal Ashley ripped a two-run double, pushing the margin to 5-1.

Albany State answered in the third when Luke Addison blasted a solo home run to left field, but Middle Georgia State added runs in the fifth and sixth innings to build an 8-2 lead.

The Golden Rams began to chip away in the eighth. With the bases loaded, David Kile drew a walk to force in a run, and Perry Usher followed with an RBI fielder’s choice before Ryan Brown grounded out to bring home another run, cutting the deficit to 8-5.

Middle Georgia State added an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning before Albany State pushed across one more in the ninth on a balk.

Despite the loss, several Golden Rams turned in strong performances at the plate. Tyler Turner led Albany State with three hits, while Addison homered and drove in a run. Kile added a hit and two RBIs.

On the mound, Armando Nunez (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs in three innings. The Albany State bullpen settled things down afterward, with Sebastian Griffeth, Will Pridgen and Riley Barker combining to finish the game. 

Middle Georgia State collected eight hits, led by Ashley, who had two doubles and three RBIs.

Albany State will look to bounce back this weekend when the Golden Rams host Savannah State in a three-game series at Albany State West. The series begins with a doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a Saturday game at noon.

“We need to bounce back quickly with a good Savannah State team coming to Albany this weekend,” Hemmings said.