HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Coming off of a pitcher's duel yesterday, Alabama A&M (5-12, 5-7 SWAC) showed they also have some pop in their bats as they pounded out 31 runs in a sweep of Mississippi Valley State (0-16, 0-13 SWAC) in an NCAA Division I baseball doubleheader on Saturday, April 17.
 
GAME 1: ALABAMA A&M 21, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 6
Both teams came out in an offensive mind set in the first inning as they combined for six runs with MVSU plating a pair in the top of the frame. The Bulldogs would answer with four runs on four hits, including a leadoff triple by sophomore second baseman Trevor Berkemeyer (North Las Vegas, Nev.), to pull ahead 4-2.
 
Not to be outdone, the Delta Devils responded with four scores of their own behind four hits, including a double and a triple, and capitalized on an error in the top of the second to pull back ahead at 6-4 through one and a half innings of play.
 
The clubs would go scoreless for the next inning and a half until freshman outfielder Malik Frails (Harlem, Ga.) belted a two-run shot in the bottom of the third to tie it. It would not stay tied long as A&M broke out the bats in the fourth with nine runs on six hits and an error. That barrage included a pair of two RBI doubles from Berkemeyer and senior designated hitter Brock Mitchell (Brownsboro, Ala.) and an RBI double from junior outfielder Teddy Bridges (Montgomery, Ala.) to take it from a 6-6 tie to a 15-6 blowout.
 
Valley would manage just two hits the rest of the way but Alabama A&M was not done as they pushed across six more runs, on just three hits, in the bottom of the sixth. Frails ripped a two-RBI single to center and Berkemeyer drove home two more with another triple while Bridges doubled home one more to fuel that onslaught and close out the 21-6 rout.
 
Berkemeyer lashed a pair of triples and added a double for good measure as he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a pair of run scores to lead the Bulldogs while Frails jacked a homerun as part of a 2-for-3 effort that included four RBIs and three runs scored.
 
Not to be outdone, Bridges was a perfect 5-for-5, plating three runs and scoring three and Mitchell finished with three RBIs with just one hit and a walk. Freshman third baseman Jalen Ford (Birmingham, Ala.) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs to round out the top offensive performances and junior Jose Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico) earned the complete game victory as he struck out eight to improve to 3-2.
 
Kyndell Dolphin led MVSU with a 1-for-3 day that included a triple and a pair of RBIs while Willie Johnson, Andrew Harris and Jason Jimenez each added a solo RBI. Hunter Stallings started and went 3.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs against three strikeouts to fall to 0-3 on the year.
 
GAME 2: ALABAMA A&M 10, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 9
The scoring would come early and often in the nightcap of the twinbill as 12 of the 19 runs came over the first three innings. A&M struck first with a RBI single by freshman outfielder Janmikell Bastardo (Fort Myers, Fla.) in the first before the Delta Devils tied it on a fielders choice by Dolphin and Johnson doubled home a pair to put them ahead 3-1 heading to the bottom of the second.
 
As tends to be the case between these particular teams, it would not stay that way as the Bulldogs immediately responded with four hits, highlighted by a Bastardo triple, to score five runs and take back the lead at 6-3. Ty Washington would make a leadoff hit by pitch in the third hurt as he came up two batters later and hammered a two-run shot to get Mississippi Valley State within 6-5.
 
A&M gained back a little breathing room in the home half of the inning as they got a run on a wild pitch to make it 7-5, a margin that would maintain until the bottom of the fifth when senior shortstop Pierre Brewton (Madison, Ala.) wreaked havoc on the basepaths. After singling home a run to get on base he stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. That same play Berkemeyer came home as a result of Brewton's peskiness, something that would be evident again as the shortstop scored on a throwing effort to put the Bulldogs up 10-5.
 
MVSU would be far from done, however, as they rallied with a walk and two singles to bring home a run with no outs in the top of the sixth. A hard lined shot was snagged for one out but the next hard hit ball came of the bat of John Dominguez, Jr. and landed in the right center field gap for a two-RBI triple to cut it to two. They would get as close as 10-9 following an RBI groundout by Aaron Brazelton but no closer as the Bulldogs got a fly ball to end the game on the next batter.
 
Bastardo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a triple to help fuel the Alabama A&M attack while Berkemey added a pair of RBIs and runs. Brewton, Bridges and Jalen Ford each had solo RBIs on the offensive side and junior pitcher Peyton Baker (Acworth, Ga.) pitched five innings, allowing seven earned runs and striking out three to get the win and move to 1-4. Senior Michael Hovermill (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) threw the final two high leverage innings and collected his first save of the season.
 
Dominguez led Mississippi Valley with a 2-for-4 outing and a pair of RBIs while Washington and Johnson each drove in two. Jimenez, Dolphin, Brazelton each had RBIs with the latter going 3-for-4. On the hill Ethan Charles threw three innings and surrendered six earned runs to fall to 0-4.
 
The teams close out their four-game set with MVSU tomorrow, Sunday, April 18 with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.