MACON — Albany State outlasted Savannah State 14-12 in a tense, back-and-forth championship game Sunday to win the SIAC Baseball Tournament and punch its ticket to the NCAA Division II postseason.
With the Golden Rams clinging to a two-run lead in the ninth, the drama peaked when Savannah State’s leadoff batter singled, putting the tying run at the plate. But Landon Kiefer came through in the clutch, retiring three straight batters to secure the title at Luther Williams Field.
“We started playing team baseball, and it’s amazing what happens when you play as a team,” Albany State Head Coach Scot Hemmings said. “The word that comes to mind that I told our team is we finally got over the hump, and I’m just super proud of this senior class who has been through a lot with me. They finally got to do the dog pile that we’ve talked so much about.”
As Hemmings noted, it was a true team effort. The Golden Rams produced 14 hits, and Hemmings used six pitchers as Savannah State continued to rally each time Albany State looked poised to pull away.
A unique local connection also played a key role. Former Terrell Academy teammates Quindon Wright and Luke Addison helped swing the momentum in the sixth inning. Wright pitched a strong top half, and in the bottom half, Addison crushed a two-run homer to break a 7-7 tie and give Albany State the lead for good.
The Golden Rams had jumped out to a 5-0 lead after scoring three runs in the third inning, but by the sixth, Savannah State had tied the game at 7-7. Albany State responded with a seven-run bottom of the sixth to regain control, though the Tigers battled back to cut the deficit to two runs heading into the final frame.
Kiefer, typically a starting pitcher who won Game Two of the tournament on the mound, entered in the eighth and shut down the Tiger offense the rest of the way.
Addison and Matt Delay each drove in three runs on three hits. Tyler Turner added three RBIs with two hits, while Austin Roberts knocked in two runs on two hits.
Hemmings said the Golden Rams’ tournament success was shaped by adversity earlier in the season.
“It basically boiled down to, in the middle of the year, we were at a crossroads with our team,” he said. “We weren’t playing good baseball. I felt like we were doing some selfish things. But about three weeks ago, we started playing team baseball, and it’s amazing what happens when you play as a team.”
Now, the team has reached its goal: a berth in the NCAA Division II Regional.
“We are extremely excited about going to a national regional,” Hemmings said. “And we’re just really appreciative of all the fan support that we got from Albany — everywhere from our players’ parents to our athletic director, administration at Albany State, to the local newspaper and the local television station. It was an amazing atmosphere and an awesome environment for our guys.”
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