SWAC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

LIVE AUDIO (Saturday's Game)

FORT WORTH - The Panthers received marathon-like pitching performances on Friday, including a gem of a complete game by impromptu starter AJ Helms, who struck out 11 batters and surrendered one earned run in a 2-1 win over Alabama State to advance to the Southwestern Athletic Conference semifinal game at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

After the third inning of Friday night's game against No. 2 seeded Alabama State at LaGrave Field, Helms did not allow a batter to reach en route to his career-best game as a Division 1 athlete. Leo Rojas stole home for Alabama State in the first inning for his team's only run of the evening. 

Prairie View A&M was then held hitless by ASU starter Joseph Comancho until senior second baseman Andre Oliver hit a single to break it up. Comancho was pulled after pitching a seven-inning, two-hit shut out and was replaced by Jorge Pantoja.

Center fielder Colby Hines immediately doubled off of the Hornets' new pitcher, and in a bunting situation Trey Price pulled one on the ASU defense as he reared back and hit a RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 1-1. Center fielder Brett Valley laid down a bunt, but reached on a throwing error way out of play by Pantoja. On that same throwing error Price hauled it from first base and beat out the throw at home plate to take the game-deciding lead in the bottom of the eighth.

Helms went into the top of the ninth and blanked Alabama State to improve to 3-2 this season and has a win and a save in two appearances so far in the SWAC Tournament. The Panthers have also made it to a SWAC Tournament semifinal game for two-consecutive seasons for the first time under coach Waskyla Cullivan. 

Prairie View A&M found its offensive stride and lit up the Southern pitching staff in an 11-4 win on Friday afternoon to move on to another round of Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament baseball. With the win, the Panthers moved on to play Alabama State.

The Panthers tore the game wide open in with a four-run fourth inning to take a 7-1 lead on the Jaguars. Designated hitter Greg Salcido got things going in the fourth. With runners on first and second, he sent a ball to the fence in left-center, driving in Brett Valley from second and third baseman Brad Benes to take a 5-1 lead. On the next at bat All-SWAC first baseman Dominiq Harris blasted his second home run of the SWAC Tournament and his eighth of the year over the left field wall to knock the wind out of Southern and take a 7-1 lead. 

Prairie View A&M wasn't done there. In the sixth, Salcido picked up another RBI with a single up the middle to score Benes. Then Jeff Sealy joined the home run club by going yard for the first time this season on a two-run shot over the left field fence to extend his team's lead to 9-3.

Starter Michael Medina pitched a complete game for the Panthers, coming up big in the clutch. He gave up four runs, all earned off of 16 hits, throwing 131 pitches. Most impressively Medina had a career-high 10 strikeouts, including the final out of the game when he sent the Southern batter down looking. Helms and Medina were the first pitchers for Prairie View A&M to throw consecutive complete games and set career-highs in strikeouts back-to-back.