PRAIRIE VIEW – The Prairie View A&M baseball team (10-14, 10-6 SWAC) sent nine seniors off in style, pounding out a season-high 15 runs and 18 hits in taking down Arkansas-Pine Bluff 15-7 Sunday afternoon at Tankersley Field during Senior Day.

"It feels good, man. I'm happy we were able to go out there and pull it off," PVAMU Head Baseball Coach Auntwan Riggins said. "It was a back and forth dogfight early, but we scrapped together three runs in the fifth and from there, we continued to have quality at-bats while getting hits with two strikes or two outs. We came up big when we needed to, and we've had a different player step up every time in our past few games. That's huge."

How it Happened:
After consecutive miscues gifted Arkansas-Pine Bluff a 2-0 lead at the expense of senior starting pitcher Tyler Laux, the Panthers regrouped in the bottom of the first inning as Benjamin Ybarra doubled to score senior Xavier Jefferson for the team's first run of the game. Sebastian Coria handed the Panthers a 3-2 lead with a two-run double to score Tre Turner and Alex Martinez.

"When you have young guys like (Ybarra and Coria) that can come in and produce in a big situation, not only does it give you another option, it makes it even tougher on the defense," Riggins said. "My hat's off to them for coming in to produce and not feeling that pressure."

UAPB reclaimed the lead with three runs in the third inning, but the Panthers proved unflappable, responding to knot the game back up on a two-run single by senior Andrew Garcia. Demarie' Smith sparked another run in the first, getting on via single and stealing second and third before Martinez brought him home with a base hit. The Golden Lions remained pesky, tying it 6-6 in the top of the fifth. The tide turned for good when the Panthers got their turn as Garcia belted a solo shot to right field and the Panthers grinded out two runs to go ahead 9-6.

"It's very encouraging to see the team pick each other up, because you need it to compete and have a chance to win, and you need that even more to compete for championships," Riggins said. "Tyler didn't quite have his best stuff today but he did what we needed him to do, and we went out there and scored runs for him. We just happen to be clicking on all cylinders over the past few games, and our guys are being competitive and showing their heart. As a coach, that's all I can ask."

The sides traded runs, but the Panthers buried the Golden Lions for good in the seventh inning. There, Ybarra delivered a RBI triple to score Jefferson and start the final surge. Later, senior Avery Williams came on to score Ybarra with a pinch-hit RBI single and after Keanu Maldonado drew a bases-loaded walk, Garcia delivered a two-run single for the final margin.

Key Stats:
Jefferson led with a 4-for-5 day, adding two runs. Garcia was 3-for-4 with six RBI. Coria also went 3-for-5 with three runs. Ybarra and Smith each had a pair of hits. Laux got the win, scattering six hits and four earned runs over 5.0 innings, striking out five. This was the final home series for Jefferson, Garcia, Laux, Williams, Turner, Andrew Paige, catcher Tyler Gordon and pitchers Kyle Smith and Dalton Acosta.

"It was an emotional start to the day for me, as most of these seniors were my first recruiting class here," Riggins said. "I told them earlier that though we may not always see eye to eye, I love them and we're joined at the hip. I loved what those guys did today. It was amazing to see them want this win for themselves and for their teammates. I'm proud of what they did in this game and for our program. I'm glad we pulled this off for them, and they were a big part of us getting it done."

Next Up:
PVAMU hits the road to face Baylor Tuesday evening.

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