GCAC baseball tourney enters day two in Jackson

Rematches from Final Weekend of the Season Open the Championship; Day Two Offers Opportunity to Advance from Loser’s Bracket

Thursday, April 25, 2024 Championship Tournament Schedule
Loser’s Bracket
9 a.m. | No. 4 SUNO vs. No. 8 Philander Smith | Live Stats
12:30 p.m. | No. 6 Tougaloo vs. No. 7 Oakwood | Live Stats

Winner’s Bracket
4 p.m. | No. 1 Wiley vs. No. 5 Rust | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. | No. 2 Talladega vs. No. 3 Dillard | Live Stats

Day 1 Results

No. 4 SUNO Knights 3 vs. No. 5 Rust Bearcats 6 | BOX SCORE

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.

#1 Wiley Wildcats 7 vs #8 Philander Smith Panthers 5 | BOX SCORE

The GCAC regular season champion Wiley Wildcats’ opening-round matchup against the eight-seed Philander Smith Panthers did not come easy. The Wildcats were forced to fight through adversity coming away with 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 Bleu Devils 10 vs Np. 6 Tougaloo Bulldogs 0 | BOX SCORE

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 Tornadoes 18 vs No. 7 Oakwood Ambassadors 3 | BOX SCORE

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.

Championship information and tickets are available online on the GCAC Baseball Tournament Central website, and all games will be broadcast live on the GCAC Network on HBCU+. Fans can download the app for free on any mobile and streaming television device.