Ty Grover knocks in 13 runs as Albany State takes two of three at Morehouse

ATLANTA — Baseball seasons don’t always announce themselves when they turn.

Sometimes it’s subtle — a well-pitched inning, a seeing-eye single, a break that finally goes your way.

And sometimes, it sounds like this.

Three swings. Three home runs. A dozen-plus runs driven in. A lineup that suddenly looks alive again.

For Albany State, the turning point came Saturday, and it came off the bat of Ty Grover.

A junior first baseman from Springfield, Florida, in his third year with the program, Grover didn’t just lead the Golden Rams — he carried them through a weekend that may prove to be a pivot point in their season.

A day after watching a late lead slip away in a 14-7 loss to Morehouse, Albany State responded with authority, sweeping a doubleheader and bludgeoning its way to wins behind one of the most remarkable individual performances head coach Scot Hemmings has witnessed.

“It ended up being a good weekend,” Hemmings said. “We had a little trouble in our bullpen last night and had an uncharacteristic outing, which will happen from time to time. Today was really fun to watch Ty Grover have one of the greatest statistical days that I’ve ever been a part of. I know he had three homers and 12 or 13 RBIs.”

That might sound like exaggeration — until you look closer.

Grover finished the weekend going 8-for-13 with three home runs, three doubles and 13 RBIs, including an eight-RBI explosion in Saturday’s opener.

Yes — opener.

Because Albany State didn’t just bounce back Saturday. It erupted.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Golden Rams unleashed one of their most complete offensive performances of the season, rolling to a 22-8 win behind a relentless attack that produced 18 hits and runs in bunches.

Grover was everywhere.

He homered twice, doubled twice and drove in eight runs, delivering blows in nearly every key moment as Albany State turned a competitive game into a runaway.

If that game cracked the door open, the second game slammed it shut.

Behind another strong effort on the mound — this time from Sam Crew — Albany State completed the sweep with an 11-5 victory, pairing timely hitting with just enough pitching to stay in control.

Grover wasn’t finished there, either.

He drove in five more runs in the nightcap, including a two-run double in the first inning and a three-run home run in the sixth, giving him 13 RBIs across the doubleheader — the kind of production that doesn’t just win games, it defines weekends.

“He swung the bat really well,” Hemmings said, before widening the lens. “We all did.”

And that may have been the most important development of all.

For weeks, Albany State had been searching for consistency at the plate. The pitching had often been good enough, but the offense had yet to find rhythm.

Saturday looked different.

“We swung the bats really well, played good defense and got another great outing out of Sam Crew in game one,” Hemmings said. “Collin Loeffler and Chase Ledger came out of the bullpen and threw the ball really well.”

More telling than the numbers, perhaps, was the approach.

“I saw some signs of us busting out of our hitting woes and really buying into a plan and approach,” Hemmings said. “We put up some great numbers with a lot of extra base hits.”

That combination — power, patience and pitching — is what gives a team staying power this time of year.

And if Saturday was any indication, the Golden Rams may be finding it at just the right time.

The Golden Rams will be at home Tuesday to take on Georgia Southwestern with first pitch set for 5 p.m. Albany State will then head to South Carolina for a three-game SIAC series against Benedict College Saturday and Sunday.