For the second time in eight days, the Southwestern Athletic Conference has defeated a Southeastern Conference team in baseball.
Tuesday night, it was Alabama State who edged Auburn 3-2 thanks to solo home runs by Ali LaPread and Randy Flores. The Hornets’ stunner at Auburn follows Southern’s 12-7 win over defending College World Series champion LSU on April 1.
ANOTHER HOME RUN FROM RANDY FLORES GIVES THE HORNETS THE LEAD❗️#SWARMAS1 pic.twitter.com/9qo6p6bfqv
— Bama State Athletics (@BamaStateSports) April 10, 2024
ASU (14-16) trailed 1-0 going into the top of the seventh inning when LaPread, a senior outfielder, took Zach Crotchfelt deep to tie the score. The score remained tied at 1 in the eighth when Flores, who showcased his talents at last summer’s HBCU Swingman Classic in Seattle, touched Crotchfelt for another homer for the go-ahead run.
The Hornets added an insurance run at the top of the ninth inning, and Auburn’s rally at the bottom half of the inning was too little and too late.
Junior right-handed pitcher Caio Araujo pitched four scoreless innings in relief to get the win, striking out four Auburn hitters. Lefthander Jorhan LaBoy picked up the save for Alabama State.