CINCINNATI, Ohio, - Kentucky State baseball scored three runs at the top of the eighth inning to overcome a deficit and win the 2023 Joe Morgan HBCU Classic 19-18 hosted by the Cincinnati Reds in celebration of Jackie Robinson at the Reds Youth Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Both teams wore Negro League jerseys to commemorate those that paved the way for the way before them. Ken Griffey Jr. also gave both teams a pair of custom cleats that selected MLB players will use in honor of Jackie Robinson Day on Saturday, April 15.
The Cincinnati Reds Community Fund hosted the teams, and Charley Frank, Director of the fund, said, "It's so important for us to keep this type of connection going for our kids and our families," said Charley Frank, Director of the Reds Community Fund. "To connect them to - not only Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in 1947 - but the ongoing efforts we make daily to make the game accessible to different genders, races, and backgrounds."
How It Happened
Kentucky State got on the board, scoring three runs, including a homerun by
Joseph Esparza to take an early 3-0 lead.
In the second inning,
Treyvon Fletcher batted two of the five runs in of the inning to extend the Kentucky State lead to 8-0 at the top of the second inning. Wilberforce responded by scoring four runs to close on the 8-4 Kentucky State lead.
The Thorobreds would add three more runs in the fifth inning on a pair of doubles by Fletcher and Esparza.
A single into left field by
Daniel Moore added two runs, and
A.J. Jackson scored on an error to add three runs for Kentucky State in the sixth inning.
Wilberforce would take the lead scoring seven runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to take an 18-16 lead at the end of seven innings.
Kentucky State fought back in the eighth inning, scoring a run on a single, but the victory came on an error sending both Fletcher and Dossett across home plate to secure a 19-18 victory.
Up Next
The Thorobreds will host SIAC opponent, the Clark Atlanta Panthers, beginning with a single game on Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. at the Franklin County High School baseball field.
