PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Prairie View A&M Panthers split the first two games of their series with Arkansas–Pine Bluff on Saturday, winning the opener 9-7 before falling 19-5 in the nightcap.
 
The Panthers and Golden Lions are scheduled to conclude their series Sunday at 1 p.m. However, upcoming weather forecasts show rain in the area, meaning a rescheduling of the game is possible. Any further updates will be announced on pvpanthers.com.
 
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 9, ARKANSAS–PINE BLUFF 7
The Panthers jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the first four innings and then held off a late rally by Arkansas–Pine Bluff's reserves as they won their third conference game in four tries.
 
Prairie View A&M wasted no time building a lead, as the first four Panthers to bat knocked singles. The Panthers held a 4-0 lead after one inning of play.
 
Anthony Fernandez went 2-for-4 and knocked in four runs to lead the Panthers' assault. Fernandez was the fourth consecutive hitter to single to start the game, scoring Walter Wells from second base. In the second inning, Fernandez knocked a triple to left-center field, scoring Wells and Cody Den Beste.
 
Den Beste went 3-for-5 in the game and scored three runs for the Panthers. Wells went 2-for-3 and scored two runs and recorded an RBI.
 
Starting pitcher Alberto Aveytia pitched six and two-thirds innings and struck out six batters en route to his second victory of the season. Aveytia improved his record to 2-1.
 
Aveytia did not allow a run over his first five innings of work, but after Pine Bluff emptied its bench midway through the game, the Golden Lions' bats came alive. The Golden Lions added one run in the sixth and four more in the seventh, cutting the Prairie View A&M lead to 8-5. Aveytia, was charged for five runs.
 
Trailing 9-6 going into the top of the ninth inning, the Golden Lions put their first three runners on base, prompting head coach Waskyla Cullivan to bring Grant Dougherty in from right field to pitch. Though one of the Golden Lions would cross the plate, Dougherty shut down the opposition for his second save of the year.
 
Kevin Macias and Carson Lee both went 2-for-3 and knocked in a run for the Panthers.
 
ARKANSAS–PINE BLUFF 19, PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 5
Fernandez and Wells each knocked two base hits and collected two RBIs in Saturday's second game, but the Lions were too much as they claimed a 14-run win.
 
The Lions jumped out to a 6-0 lead, but a four-run Prairie View sixth closed the gap to 6-4. Wells knocked a two-RBI double to help ignite the Panthers' attack.
 
The Golden Lions saved the bulk of their scoring for the final three innings, scoring 13 runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Pine Bluff scored seven runs in the ninth on only two hits.