Day 1 Results
(No. 4) Southern-New Orleans 3 vs. (No. 5) Rust College 6
The fifth-seeded Rust Bearcats kicked off the GCAC tournament in style, advancing in the winner’s bracket following a 6-3 victory over the fourth-seed SUNO Knights. Carrying a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning, Rust firmly took over the momentum, scoring four runs highlighted by a two-run RBI triple by Devin Tallington. Fielding mishaps down the stretch gave the Knights hope, most notably leading to two runs in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Rust kept its composure, reeling in a fly ball deep in center field to close the game.
(No. 1) Wiley 7 vs. (No. 8) Philander Smith 5
The GCAC regular season champion Wiley Wildcats’ opening-round matchup against the eight-seed Philander Smith Panthers was not easy. The Wildcats were forced to fight through adversity, resulting in a 7-5 win. The Panthers were aggressive early, recording six stolen bases in the first three innings, taking a 3-2 lead, and heading into the bottom of the period. Wiley answered with two runs of their own to take the lead back and would follow that up with an RBI single in the fourth. In the fifth inning, after Philander Smith scored two more runs to tie the game 5-5, Wiley matched them with a sacrifice fly RBI and advancing on a passed ball for what would turn out to be the game’s final two runs.
(No. 3) Dillard 10 vs. (No. 6) Tougaloo 0
The three-seeded Dillard Bleu Devils made quick work of the Tougaloo Bulldogs, coming away with a seven-inning 10-0 win. Dillard pitcher Dylan Scott was the story of the game, falling one hit short of his first career no-hitter as the team’s starter. The team’s hitting was strong as well, putting forth a six-run inning in the sixth featuring a three-run RBI triple by Derrald Moore and a two-run RBI single by Donovan Shead.
(No. 2) Talladega 18 vs. (No. 7) Oakwood 3
Rounding out the day was the Talladega Tornadoes, advancing in the winner’s bracket following an 18-3 victory over the Oakwood Ambassadors. Nomar Garcias made the play of the day, hitting the first home run of the tournament, which resulted in a grand slam, giving Talladega a 6-0 advantage in the third inning. They scored again on a double stolen base making the score 7-0. Though Oakwood fought back, scoring three runs in the fourth inning, Talladega answered at the bottom of the inning with six runs of their own. This included a two-run RBI double by Victor Rivera. With the game well in hand, Talladega scored five more runs in the sixth inning to further cement their victory.