Box Score  
The Clark Atlanta University baseball team opened their 2022 season, falling late to Virginia State 12-4 Saturday at Bill Evans Field in College Park, Ga.

Clark Atlanta (0-1) led 3-1 after four innings as Lorenzo Peterson struck out eight hitters and gave up one hit in three innings of work and while Andrew Gaskin struck out three Virginia State hitters in the fourth.  Gaskin also doubled in Darrin Brown and Eason Bing in the third.  The fourth inning also saw Justice Page single, steal a base, advance to third on a wild pitch and then score on a Deandre Swift single.

As temperatures began to dip towards the upper 30s on a chilly Atlanta night, things changed in the fifth when Virginia State (1-0) got two hits off Garner who also hit a batter and walked another as they tied the game at 3-3.

The bottom of the inning saw Manuel score on a wild pitch by VSU's Nicholas Woolfolk as the Panthers regained the lead at 4-3.

But a two-hit, four-walk sixth inning for CAU pitching allowed three VSU runs for the Trojans to take a 6-4 lead.  VSU added five more runs in the seventh and one in the ninth to take the win.  It was the Trojans 11^th straight win over CAU in meetings between the two schools.

Swift finished with two hits, two walks and an RBI for CAU while Gaskin drove in two runs.  CAU got doubles from Gaskin and Manuel, and stolen bases from Page, Gaskin and Manuel.

Tahraun Hammond had three hits and scored four times to lead VSU, with Emmett Jefferson added two and three runs scored.

On the mound, Peterson stuck out eight and gave up just a hit and a run in three innings while Garner struck out three in an inning and 2/3.  CAU used six pitchers Friday.

For VSU, Woolfork struck out nine CAU hitters and gave up four hits in seven innings while Rashard. Miller closed things out by striking out two during two hitless innings.

The two teams hook up again on Sunday for a doubleheader at Bill Evans Field, beginning at noon.