HUNTSVILLE, Ala. –  A three-RBI day from sophomore second baseman Trevor Berkemeyer (North Las Vegas, Nev..) as part of a 10-hit effort fueled Alabama A&M's (2-10, 2-5 SWAC) 10-8 victory over rival Alabama State (9-13, 6-4 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I baseball game on Thursday, April 1.
 
On a brisk 46-degree night at State-of-the-Art Toyota Field, home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Bulldogs woke up the bats and held down ASU just long enough to come away with the two-run win.
 
The Hornets notched solo runs in each of the second and third innings for an early 2-0 lead but that would evaporate in the home half of the third. A one out double down the left field line by senior shortstop Pierre Brewton (Madison, Ala.) set the stage for junior outfielder Teddy Bridges (Montgomery, Ala.) who followed suit, rapping an RBI double to center to cut the lead in half.
 
A walk then made it first and second and A&M would pick up the tying run on a fielders' choice off the bat of freshman outfielder Janmikell Bastardo (Fort Myers, Fla.). With the game tied at 2-2 and runners on second and third, Berkemeyer lashed a ball to the outfield to drive home both runs for a 4-2 lead before getting caught at second on the throw back in.
 
The Bulldogs would be back at it in the bottom of the fifth as they worked some two-out magic as Berkemeyer singled home another run and Bastardo scored on a throwing error from the mound. A single by freshman first baseman Malik Frails (Harlem, Ga.) then made it 7-2.
 
Alabama State would manufacture a run in the top of the sixth as Hunter May walked with two outs, stole second and third and then came home on a single by Jabronski Williams to cut the deficit to four. A 1-2-3 home half of the inning allowed them the opportunity to creep closer in the seventh.
 
In that frame Cristopher DeGuzman singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a double play to make it 7-4. A&M would get that run right back in the bottom of the inning as Bridges doubled to left and Bastardo brought him home with a single. They weren't done either as sophomore catcher Dillon Roop (New Market, Ala.) delivered a sacrifice fly and Bastardo scored on a throwing error to extend the lead to 10-4.
 
The Hornets would not go away, however, as three singles and a double led to three runs in the eighth to pull back to within 10-7. They would get it to a two-run margin with an error, walk and a fielder's choice in the ninth but would come no closer as the Bulldogs closed out the 10-8 rivalry victory.
 
Berkemeyer went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run while Bastardo was 2-for-4 with three runs and a pair of RBIs. Bridges laced a pair of doubles as part of a 3-for-4 day that saw him with three runs and an RBI and Frails and Roop would wrap up the offense with an RBI apiece.
 
Junior pitcher Jose Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) went six innings, striking out seven and allowing four runs to improve to 2-2 and sophomore reliever Logan Smith (Greentown, Ind.) added a three-inning save.
 
DeGuzman led ASU with a pair of RBIs and a run as part of a 3-for-5 day while Williams was 2-for-6 with an RBI and a run scored. Trenton Jamison, Santiago Garcia, AJ Gardner and Jayden Sloan each had an RBI and Jacknell Guzman pitched five innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) while striking out five. He falls to 1-2 on the year.
 
The Bulldogs and Hornets hook up again tomorrow, Friday, April 2 at Toyota Field for Game 2 of the series. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.