HOUSTON, TX – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball team defeated Texas Southern in a three-game series this past weekend winning two games over the Tigers (14-3, 14-10) Saturday afternoon at MacGregor Park.
After dropping the first game of the series, the Golden Lions brought out their big bats against Texas Southern and handled business. UAPB wasted no time in Saturday's games jumping out to an early 8-1 lead at the top of the third inning with huge doubles early in the game from freshman Dante Leach and junior Jarficur Parker to get an early momentum going for the Golden Lions.
With the energy flowing in the right direction for the Golden Lions, three home runs were hit in each the fourth, fifth and sixth inning by sophomore DeClaudio Irvin, senior Nick Kreutzer, and Leach opening the flood gates and giving the Golden Lions a 12-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Irvin and sophomore Timothy Martin scored the final two runs for the Golden Lions leaving the score at 14-3 in seven innings to tie the series at 1-1.
Junior Tony Horn Jr. (1-1) picked up the win pitching a complete game, going 7.0 IP with five strikeouts. Irvin led UAPB at the plate going 4-for-4 with two RBIs, followed by Leach going 2-for-3 with
three RBIs. The Golden Lions had four players in the lineup with two hits apiece.
The Golden Lions (2-8, 2-1 SWAC) would not lie down and recycled their energy in game three. Parker and Martin home runs set the bar for the Golden Lions early in the game and by the top of the fourth inning, UAPB jumped out to an impressive 12-0 lead over Texas Southern.
Texas Southern (4-12, 1-2 SWAC) played with a sense of urgency and attempted to make a comeback against the Golden Lions scoring nine of their ten runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, but senior Jordan O'Guinn calmed things down along with senior pitcher Bryce Roesch who ended the rally and closed out the 14-10 victory over Texas Southern in game three to clinch the series.
Sophomore Brandon Little picked up the win, going 3.0 IP, with three strikeouts. Leach led UAPB at the plate going 3-for-6 with a RBI, followed by Martin going 1-for-2 with three RBIs, freshman Edwin DeLaCruz going 2-for-2 with a RBI, and Parker added three RBIs.
"I'm proud of our guys for sticking with it and continuing to fight", said UAPB head coach Carlos James about the series victory over Texas Southern.
Golden Lion baseball will continue their road trip in Texas on Tuesday making a stop at Texas Christian University at 6:30 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas. The game can be viewed live on Big 12 Now on the ESPN+ app.
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