UAPB Baseball: Golden Lions Close Series With Dominant 26-1 Rout of Alabama State
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After dropping the first two games of the weekend series, Arkansas-Pine Bluff left no doubt in the finale. The Golden Lions erupted for 26 runs on 23 hits, completing a stunning series split with a 26-1 demolition of Alabama State on Saturday afternoon in Montgomery.
UAPB, now 15-19 overall and 8-4 in SWAC play, came out swinging from the first pitch. The Golden Lions sent 12 men to the plate in the opening frame, plating five runs before the Hornets could record three outs. The damage came largely by free passes — the Golden Lions drew walk after walk and absorbed hit batters with runners in scoring position — with Zyon Hamilton drawing a bases-loaded walk and Jose Vasquez following with another to keep the floodgates open. Blake Coleman reached to extend the inning and set the tone for what was to come.
The second inning was even more destructive. UAPB pushed eight more runs across, forcing Alabama State to burn through multiple pitchers in search of an answer no one had. The blow that blew the game open was a three-run home run to left field by Coleman, a towering shot that capped a relentless assault of walks, hit batters, and hard contact. Zach Wieder added a sacrifice fly and Vasquez collected another RBI as UAPB led 13-0 after two innings.
UAPB kept its foot on the pedal in the third, with Vasquez lining a run-scoring triple to right field and Wieder plating another with a single to right, pushing the lead to 15-0. A Konner Giddley sacrifice fly in the fourth made it 16 before the Golden Lions erupted again in the fifth — Coleman singled down the right-field line to drive in two, and Giddley came through with a two-RBI single to left center as the Golden Lions continued to pour it on.
The sixth inning was a final exclamation point. UAPB strung together seven hits and a walk, scoring six runs to put the game completely out of reach. Vasquez singled to left field for two more RBIs to open the frame, Wieder lashed a double down the left-field line, Dane Small delivered a pinch-hit RBI single, Aaron Grant lifted a sacrifice fly, Giddley singled through the left side for an RBI, and Ian Smith followed with an RBI single to right to cap the six-run surge.
On the offensive stat sheet, every corner of the lineup contributed. Coleman went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs. Vasquez finished 3-for-4 with a triple, five RBIs, and five runs scored. Wieder went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Grant drew two walks and drove in two runs via sacrifice flies. Giddley collected multiple RBIs across several plate appearances, and Smith chipped in a late RBI single. UAPB drew 11 walks as a team and generated a 23-hit performance that forced the hosts to use eight pitchers on the afternoon.
Ryland Morin earned the victory with a commanding seven-inning effort. He scattered three hits, struck out 10, and surrendered just one earned run on 117 pitches. Brendan Hamlin came on to close out the seventh for UAPB.
