GAME ONE BOX SCORE
GAME TWO BOX SCORE
HOUSTON, Texas – Pitching ruled the day as the Prairie View A&M Panthers split a key SWAC doubleheader over Texas Southern on Saturday afternoon before a large turnout at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Houston.
In game one, TSU scored three runs over the final four innings of play en route to a 3-2 win in the series opener.
Prairie View scored first as Kyle Bible recorded an RBI double to bring home Rafael Perez for a 1-0 lead in the fourth. TSU moved ahead 2-1 in the sixth after a three-hit frame and upped its margin to 3-1 on Lacy Jackson's sacrifice RBI during the eighth. The Panthers drew to within 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth as Andre Oliver crossed home after an error at home plate. PV managed to put the tying run on the base paths to open the ninth but missed out on a key opportunity to tie the game as pinch runner James Fontenot was picked off. TSU's Dakota Laufenberg earned the save as he recorded a grounder and a strikeout to end the game.
Oliver finished 3-for-4 with a run scored while Michael Listi fell to 3-3 after seven innings of action. Abel Flores picked up the win for TSU as Ray Hernandez and Brandon Mikell added a pair of hits.
Prairie View A&M did all of its damage in the first inning with a five-run frame while Derrick Mitchell struck out five as the Panthers won game two 5-3.
The Panthers jumped on TSU starter David Williams in the opening inning as Evan Richard, Kyle Bible and Sal Hernandez all had RBIs en route to a 5-0 lead. With a five-run lead, Panther starter Derrick Mitchell cruised as the junior shut TSU down until a run crossed home in the seventh. Junior reliever Julio Baltodano relieved Mitchell to open the eighth and held down the fort as the Panthers evened their record after two solid innings of play.
Colby Hines, Bible and Brandon Williams had two hits apiece for the Panthers with Bible driving in a pair of RBIs. Mitchell improved to 4-2 on the year with five strikeouts while Williams fell to 2-4 for TSU.
The series concludes in Prairie View, Texas on Sunday with a single game slated for 1 p.m.
