BATON ROUGE, La. – Jordan Stewart pitched a complete game and earned his first win of the season Saturday to insure the Prairie View A&M Panthers would return to Texas with a series win over Southern.
 
Stewart struck out six batters and scattered nine hits while allowing only two runs to lead the Panthers to a 9-2 win in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader. The Jaguars salvaged the day by winning the second game 9-5.
 
The Panthers gave Stewart all the support he needed when they plated four runs in the top of the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. Walter Wells tied the game with an RBI single that scored Darrien Williams; Anthony Fernandez and Connor Wrye drew bases-loaded walks that scored Josh Jefferson and Wells. Grant Dougherty would later score on a passed ball.
 
Fernandez would lead the offensive attack by collecting four RBIs, despite only getting one hit in the opening game. In addition to his RBI walk, he also knocked a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, an RBI double in the sixth inning, and an RBI fielder's choice in the eighth.
 
By day's end, the Panthers record stood at 4-7; they finished their first week of Southwestern Athletic Conference play with a 2-1 West Division record.
 
After the Panthers added to their lead in the middle innings – they led 8-2 by the middle of the sixth – Stewart continued to baffle hitters, and at one point retired seven in a row. The late work didn't seem to faze him, as he struck out the side on 19 pitches in the bottom of the ninth, his third 1-2-3 inning of the day.
 
Wrye and Josh Jefferson also collected RBIs for the Panthers. Jefferson's RBI single immediately followed Darrien Williams' triple to lead off the top of the sixth inning.
 
Southern's J'Markus George started the game and absorbed the loss for the Jaguars. His record fell to 0-2.
 
GAME TWO (Southern 9, Prairie View A&M 5)
The Jaguars (1-5) scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to salvage a doubleheader split and pick up their first win of the season.
 
D.J. Wallace scored the game-winning run when PVAMU's Michael Dewey hit Phillip Williams with the first pitch of his at-bat and the bases loaded. Since Wallace knocked his double off Jordan Johnson, it was Johnson who absorbed the loss for the Panthers.
 
Southern's Justin Freeman started and pitched six innings for the Jaguars, allowing only Fernandez to score and Joseph Mack's RBI groundout in the second inning. Fernandez had reached base with a double.
 
While Freeman pitched effectively, he would not get the decision as the Panthers posted four runs in the top of the seventh inning off relief pitcher Daniel Franklin. Franklin got Fernandez to ground out while giving up a run to Cody Den Beste, who scored from third. The Panthers would later tie the game when Wrye knocked a three-run home run, scoring Wells and Fernandez in front of him; it was Wrye's third home run of the season.
 
Charles Philpott, the SWAC's Pitcher of the Week this past week, tossed five and one-thirds innings while allowing four runs. Johnson took the hard-luck loss despite pitching two solid innings of relief and giving up only one earned run.
 
The Panthers return to action Tuesday when they head to Beaumont to face Lamar in a non-conference game. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.