hot starts

There were quite a few strong opening acts by individuals on Friday, when the state’s NCAA Division I schools opened play. Top of the list: Alcorn State’s Joshua Powell went 4-for-4 with three RBIs as the Braves rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Air Force 7-5 in LSU’s tournament. … Jackson State’s Charles Epperson had four hits, two runs and two RBIs in the Tigers’ 15-6 win over Florida A&M;, then scored another run in a 2-1 victory against Eastern Illinois. … Ole Miss’ Alex Yarbrough, a .350 hitter in 2011, went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs to help the Rebels repel TCU 7-4. … Chris Stratton, a weekend starter for Mississippi State last season, pitched a near-perfect four innings out of the bullpen as the Bulldogs topped Washington State 6-2. Darryl Norris had three hits in State’s 11-hit attack. … Highly touted freshman Connor Barron, batting leadoff for Southern Miss, went 2-for-5 with an RBI and freshman pitcher Cody Livingston worked 4 1/3 sparkling innings (one run) in relief in the Golden Eagles’ 5-4 loss to Nicholls State.
P.S. Belhaven’s Anthony Doss is as hot as anyone going right now. The former Southern Miss player, who had an injury plagued season with the Blazers in 2011, was at .404 with 11 runs, 11 RBIs, a homer, two steals and a .462 on-base percentage through 12 games. … Hinds Community College is off to a 4-0 start and has scored 42 runs in the process.