UAPB Baseball Clinches SWAC Series Against Southern University

Pine Bluff, AR.-  The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff clinched its first SWAC series victory of the season by topping Southern U. 12-4 in game one and 7-3 in game two at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex Sunday evening.

GAME 1 | UAPB 12, Southern U. 4
Junior Timothy Martin racked up three extra-base hits and senior Kacy Higgins added two more to help lead the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball over the Southern Jaguars 12-4 on Sunday at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.

Sophomore Damon Elarton (1-2) started on the mound and picked up the win for UAPB (4-14, 1-1). The right-hander went six innings, giving up four runs, one earned, on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out three. Junior Mike Gerwitz also made an impact on the mound for the Golden Lions, throwing two shutout innings while allowing two hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.

Martin’s three extra-base hits were the highlight of a 3-for-5 day and included two doubles, a triple, and two RBIs. Higgins made his contribution with two doubles and two RBIs, part of a 2-for-5 performance at the plate. Sophomore Edwin De La Cruz also contributed for the Golden Lions, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding a home run, two walks, and three RBIs.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 3-0, the Golden Lions first put runs on the board in the first inning. UAPB picked up three runs, two coming across on doubles from Martin and Higgins.

The game remained tied until the third inning when the Golden Lions got going again on offense. UAPB scored twice on De La Cruz’s two-run homer, which brought the Golden Lions lead to 5-3.

UAPB kept Southern scoreless before expanding their lead to 7-3 the following inning. The Golden Lions scored twice, with one run coming across on junior Karsten Vasquez’s single.

UAPB held the Jaguars scoreless before their offense got things rolling the next inning. The Golden Lions scored once on an RBI single off the bat of De La Cruz, bringing the UAPB advantage to 8-3.

The Golden Lions kept Southern off the scoreboard before expanding their lead to 12-3 the following inning. The Golden Lions offense piled up four runs, highlighted by a one-run double off the bat of Higgins. Southern put one run on the scoreboard before the game was over, but the Golden Lions still coasted to the 12-4 win.

GAME NOTES
» Martin had three hits in the game for UAPB.
» The Golden Lions had both Martin and Higgins crush multiple extra-base hits in the ballgame.
» UAPB’s highest-scoring inning was the sixth when it pushed four runs across.
» UAPB took the lead at 5-3 in the bottom half of the third and never lost that advantage.
» The Golden Lions out-hit the Jaguars at an 11-7 clip.
» UAPB went 6-for-16 (.375) with runners in scoring position.
» UAPB pitchers limited Southern to just 1-for-17 (.059) with runners in scoring position.
» UAPB pitchers faced 42 Southern hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out five.
» De La Cruz led the Golden Lions at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

GAME 2 | UAPB 7, Southern U. 3

The Golden Lions took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed from there on the way to a 7-3 victory against the Southern Jaguars on Sunday.

Senior Trenton Ferguson (1-2) got the win for UAPB. The right-hander went seven innings, giving up three runs, all of them earned, on five hits, allowing two walks and striking out three.

At the plate, the Golden Lions were paced by senior Kacy Higgins, who went 2-for-2 on the day with a double and two RBIs. Sophomore Dante Leach compiled a noteworthy effort as well, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Junior Andre Greene also chipped in for UAPB, putting together two hits in three trips to the plate while adding an RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Golden Lions got on the board immediately, starting their scoring with one run in the bottom of the first inning. Higgins’ RBI double was the key hit in UAPB’s three-run inning.

The Jaguars failed to push any runs across before the Golden Lions offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. UAPB managed to push across two runs in the inning, which brought the score to 5-0 in favor of the Golden Lions.

Southern narrowed UAPB’s lead to 5-3 before the Golden Lions stretched the advantage to 7-3 in the third inning.

The Golden Lions scored twice, with one run coming across on Greene’s single. The score remained 7-3 for the rest of the game, as UAPB coasted to the win.

GAME NOTES
» UAPB’s highest-scoring inning was the first when it pushed three runs across.
» UAPB took a 3-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn’t surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Four Golden Lions had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Golden Lions out-hit the Jaguars at an 11-5 clip.
» UAPB pitchers limited Southern to just 1-for-5 (.200) with runners in scoring position.
» Higgins led the Golden Lions at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.

The Golden Lions will be back in action Tuesday against Arkansas Baptist College Tuesday, March 22 at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.  The first pitch is set for 3 PM.