SAN ANTONIO, Tx --Freshman M. Smith put together an outstanding performance at the plate Wednesday, hitting two homers, but the Prairie View A&M Panthers fell to the Incarnate Word Cardinals 23-20.

Senior Victor Mendoza (0-3) came out of the bullpen for Prairie View A&M (6-7) and took the loss. Junior Matthew Krall was a bright spot for the Panthers, coming out of the bullpen as well and throwing one scoreless inning, allowing no hits, with one walk and two strikeouts.

Smith went 5-for-6 at the plate, supplementing his two home runs with five RBIs. Sophomore Michael Burroughs added to Smith's awesome power-hitting performance by going 2-for-5 with five RBI along with one walk. Junior Tyran Norris also chipped in for the Panthers, going 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and two RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Panthers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Smith put Prairie View A&M on the board with a leadoff home run off sophomore Garrett Coiner.

The Cardinals then rallied to score five runs and take a 5-1 lead before the Panthers got back on the board in the second. The Prairie View A&M offense exploded for five runs, highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Smith, which brought the score to 6-5 in favor of the Panthers.

Prairie View A&M's lead had evaporated once the fifth inning came around and turned into a 16-6 Incarnate Word advantage, when the Panthers cut that deficit to 16-8.

Prairie View A&M kept the Cardinals off the board before narrowing the gap further in the sixth. The Panthers drove home two runs when a single from Burroughs brought home junior Isaac Davila and Smith, bringing the score to 16-10 in favor of Incarnate Word.

The Panthers held the Cardinals off the board before rallying to grab a 20-16 lead in the seventh. The Prairie View A&M offense piled up 10 runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of freshman J. Lawson and a two-run single from Norris. The Panthers were unable to hold the lead, as Incarnate Word scored seven times over the remaining two innings to grab the 23-20 win.

GAME NOTES
» Prairie View A&M got a two-homer day from Smith.
» Smith put together a five-hit day for the Panthers.
» Prairie View A&M's power output was led by Smith, who compiled two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Burroughs and Smith drove in at least four runs for the Panthers.
» Every Panthers starter reached base safely in the loss.
» Prairie View A&M's highest scoring inning was the seventh when it pushed 10 runs across.
» Five Prairie View A&M hitters had multiple base knocks in the ballgame.
» Prairie View A&M batters had a total of 16 hits in the game.
» Prairie View A&M went 10-for-17 (.588) with runners in scoring position.
» The Panthers got five hits in seven at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Prairie View A&M pitchers faced 57 Incarnate Word hitters in the game, allowing three ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out 10.
» The Panthers drew nine walks from Incarnate Word pitching.
» Smith led the Panthers at the plate, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI.
» Incarnate Word was led offensively by junior JD Gregson, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
» Senior Westin Walls led the Cardinals pitching staff, throwing 2.2 shutout innings.