Talladega scored twice in the eighth and added another run in the ninth on Saturday, as the Tornadoes defeated Lourdes 8-5 in a neutral site game played at the Grizzly Baseball Complex in Lawrenceville, Ga.
 
Lourdes struck first with a RBI single by Jay Denman (Toledo, Ohio/Saint Francis de Sales H.S.) in the opening inning which plated Brad Ammons (Holland, Ohio/Springfield H.S.). 
 
Talladega took advantage of three Gray Wolf walks in the second to score twice and added three more runs in the fourth to build a 5-1 lead.
 
"We got behind early and made it tough on ourselves to battle back," head coach Josh Bradford said afterwards.  "We need to throw more strikes."
 
The Gray Wolves batted around in the fifth to tie the game with four runs.  Run-scoring singles by Harrison Jackson (Millbury, Ohio/Lake H.S.), Glen Crabtree (Medina, Ohio/Black River H.S.), and Denman, along with a passed ball in the frame, made it a 5-5 game.
 
Lourdes would not tally another hit after the fifth though, as reliever Gamliel Echevarria worked the final 4.2 innings for the Tornadoes to earn the win (3-1), striking out eight without allowing a run.
 
Talladega (11-11) took the lead in the eighth with a pair of runs and added an insurance tally in the ninth.
 
Lourdes used five hurlers in the game, with Caleb Thomas (Jackson, Mich./Western H.S.) suffering the loss, throwing a team-high 2.1 innings.  The Tornadoes tallied 13 hits in the contest and drew nine walks.
 
Ammons and Denman had two hits each as the Gray Wolves tallied seven on the day.
 
Lourdes (5-4) returns to the diamond at the Grizzly Baseball Complex on Sunday, facing host and fifth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett.  First pitch is set for 2 p.m.