COLLEGE PARK, Ga. - Clark Atlanta baseball returned to Bill Evans Field for a three-game series versus Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in-state rival Albany State. Clark Atlanta won the opening game before losing the final two games.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Game 1 Score: Clark Atlanta 10, Albany State 9
Game 2 Score: Albany State 14, Clark Atlanta 6
Game 3 Score: Albany State 2, Clark Atlanta 1
Record: Albany State (11-29; 9-3 SIAC), Clark Atlanta (7-28; 3-11 SIAC)
Date: Apr. 9-10, 2016 | Bill Evans Field | College Park, Ga.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1):
Clark Atlanta scored five runs in each of the first two innings to jump out to the 10-1 lead.
 
In the first inning, CAU scored five runs on three hits - Joseph Holmes II singled, Ayrton Gijsbertha doubled, and Randy Rudulph singled - with the big play coming off the bat of Gijsbertha. The catcher from Curacao doubled down the left field line with the bases loaded to score Malcolm Seabrooks and Jason Howell and move Michael Haywood, Jr. to third base.
 
The Panthers scored five more in the second inning on four hits. After an RBI single from Gijsbertha scored Holmes, Jordan Johnson connected on a grand slam - his team-leading fourth homerun of the season - to cap the scoring for Clark Atlanta.
 
Nicolas Mitchell (1-0) pitched two innings in relief of Ryan Betts to pick up his first victory with Johnson closing out the final two innings for his second save of the season.
 
Holmes, Gijsbertha, and Johnson each tallied two hits with Johnson posting a season-best five RBI in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2):
Clark Atlanta scored once in the first inning and twice in the third to take the early 3-2 lead. Howell doubled to right center allowing Seabrooks to from first base.  Seabrooks added an RBI single scoring Arias Smith before Ceontae Brandon scored with Howell adding another RBI.
 
A five-run inning for Albany State in the fifth put the visiting ahead for good, despite CAU adding two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
 
Seabrooks went 3-for-4 while Howell and Rudulph each had two hits.
 
Holmes (1-4) relieved Haywood after four innings and took the loss. Alik Shelton tossed the final 1.2 innings with panther pitching giving up 13 hits leading to 14 runs - 13 earned - while striking out five batters and walking seven.

HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 3):
Jezreel Moore (0-12) tossed the complete game - his fifth -while striking out four of the first five batters faced. Moore surrendered just seven hits and two runs while striking out seven batters.
 
Haywood picked up the first inning RBI on a sacrifice allowing Holmes to score after he had reached on an error by the Rams defense.
 
Albany State got the first base runner in the third inning and did not tally a hit off of Moore until there were two outs in the fourth inning.
 
Albany State scored once in the seventh to tie the game and once in the ninth to take the lead.
 
Howell singled with one out in the ninth but was stranded at second base when the game ended.
 
Howell went 2-for-4 at the plate and was the lone CAU player with multiple hits in the game.

THE NUMBERS:
Game 1: 10 runs, 10 hits, 2 errors
Game 2: 6 runs, 9 hits, 2 errors
Game 3: 1 run, 6 hits, 1 error
 
Rudulph (six), Seabrooks (five), and Gijsbertha (four) have current hitting streaks extending beyond this series.
 
Johnson's five RBI in the opening game is a single-game high for Clark Atlanta in 2016.

Howell tied the season-best effort with two doubles in a game on Saturday.
 
Moore tossed his second 9.0 inning complete game of the season.

UP NEXT:
Clark Atlanta will host Point on Apr. 14 as part of eight remaining home games to end the season.