NEW ORLEANS, La. ^__ Alabama A&M baseball (4-4) dropped their final game of the weekend with a 9-7 decision to Southern after a comeback effort on Sunday afternoon to close out the MLB Andre Dawson Classic held at Wesley Barrow Field.
 
Southern jumped on the board early with a pair of runs in the second on an RBI triple along with a sacrifice fly to go up 2-0. They followed that with an unearned run in the third, before a solo homer and RBI double to score two more for the 6-0 lead heading into the fifth.
 
The Bulldogs found their bats in the top half of the fifth, as Chandler Stocking (Midway, Utah) knocked an RBI double to right field to score CJ Mervilus (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Devin Tonkins (Greensboro, N.C.), who both drew walks earlier in the frame. Tommy Easley (Acworth, Ga.) hammered a two-run homer to left on the next at-bat, pulling A&M within a run at 6-5 after five.
 
After a scoreless sixth on both sides, Blake Martin (Houston, Texas) singled to left to drive in another pair of runs, this time from Stocking and Chevalier Dorris (Raymond, Miss.) to gain a 7-6 lead. Meanwhile, the Jaguars responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame, the first on an RBI single, followed by another homer for the deciding runs of the game.
 
Martin was the lone Bulldog with multiple hits on the day, going 2-for-4 at the plate along with a pair of runs and RBIs in the game. Five other batters earned hits on the day for the seven total, including Dorris who went 1-for-2, drawing three walks and crossing the plate twice.
 
Noah Whitted (Silsbee, Texas) earned the start on the mound for A&M, working three innings, allowing five runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts. Jason Marono (Miami, Fla.) picked up the loss after taking the mound in the seventh, while Anthony Mateo (Lynn, Mass.) and Dimitri Stamataplous (Toronto, Canada) also came in out of the bullpen.
 
Up Next
Alabama A&M will host Stillman on Tuesday for a midweek non-conference battle, also serving as their home opener. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Bulldog Field.
 
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