MACON, Ga. – The Benedict College Tigers stayed alive in the 2025 Cricket SIAC Baseball Championship with a 14-9 victory over Tuskegee on Thursday at Luther Williams Field.
 
The Tigers built a 14-1 lead through five innings, but then held off a late Tuskegee rally.
 
Benedict, now 24-17, advances to face top-seed Spring Hill at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Spring Hill fell to Albany State 8-5 in a winner's bracket game on Friday. The winner of the Benedict-Spring Hill game will stay alive and play at 5 p.m. Saturday.
 
After Tuskegee took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Tigers answered with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Juan Guardado hit a two-run single for the go-ahead run.
 
Kenyan Conner Jr. had an RBI in the third inning. Benedict then scored five runs in the fourth inning. Isaiah Canty led off with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. Ri'shon Pearl hit a sacrifice fly, Jacob Hall and Jonathan Olmedo both drove in runs on bunts, and Conner hit a double to score another run.
 
Benedict tacked on five more runs in the fifth inning. Justin Murray drove in a pair of runs on a single, Olmedo hit an RBI single, Conner hit an RBI double, and Nicholas Gioia drew a bases-loaded walk.
 
Tuskegee scored seven runs in the sixth inning on four hits and a pair of Benedict errors, then added another run in the ninth to cut the lead to 14-9.
 
Conner led the Tigers at the plate going 3-for-6, all doubles, and drove in three runs. Olmeo went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and Guardado went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Gioia, Canty, Olmedo and Jamell Mitchell Jr., all had two hits as well, with Mitchell hitting a pair of doubles.
 
Shane Williams earned the win on the mound, working five innings and allowing just one earned run.