Bearcats Outlast Tuskegee As Coach Bates Wins Head Coaching Debut

TUSKEGEE, Ala. – The Rust College baseball program gifted Coach Bates with a 7-4 victory on February 2, taking down the NCAA Division II's Tuskegee Golden Tigers in their season opener.

Jackson Bryant got the opening day nod on the bump and tossed 4.1 innings while allowing just one earned run and four hits with a strikeout.

Brytan Sampson came on for 2.2 innings of relief and shut the home team down as he gave up zero earned runs (one unearned) and struck out four batters to earn the win.

Calel Stephens had the club's best hitting performance, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk.

Jalin Thomas and Jesse Burton III each contributed a run driven in with the former scoring once and the latter stealing a base.

Quincy McGraw Jr. rounded the pillows twice to score on the basepaths, one coming via a double and the other a free pass.

Khalil Robinson had the exact same stat line as McGraw but instead of a double, he legged out a three-bagger instead.

#PawsUp | #BatesBall