A sixth-inning grand slam allowed Texas Southern to clinch the weekend series Saturday in Pine Bluff.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff baseball team lost 5-1 at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex, ending a streak of back-to-back series victories.
Texas Southern (13-18, 9-3 SWAC) catcher Michael Goudeau hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie and give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
UAPB (13-21, 4-10) coach Carlos James said the tougher team won.
“We broke right there,” James said. “It was ‘mano y mano’, and we broke first. When we broke, it was pretty much over with. … We had a lot of runners on base early, but that’s just having the toughness and getting them in. You’ve gotta do whatever you can in a situation like that to get them in.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
TSU second baseman Jonathan Trejo led off the top of the sixth by reaching on an error. UAPB third baseman Jaylon Nauden’s throw to first led first baseman JaKobi Jackson off the bag. Two hitters later, UAPB starting pitcher Calvin McClendon (1-5) hit outfielder Nin Burns II with a pitch. Two hitters later, he hit designated hitter Alex Diaz to load the bases with two outs for Goudeau.
UAPB pitching coach Shane Youman-Osuoha went out to visit McClendon, but UAPB didn’t have anyone in the bullpen. James said he believed McClendon could get Goudeau out to end the inning.
“Hindsight is always 20/20,” James said. “You can always look back and go, ‘Yeah, I maybe should have went to somebody else right there.’ But you can did that and bring in the other guy, and he walks a guy and walks a run in or gives up a home run, too. We thought Calvin gave us the best option at that point to get them off the field, and [he] just left a pitch up, and guy hit it out of the park.”
Goudeau entered the at-bat 1 for 2 with a bunt single and a strikeout. He hit 4 for 5 in Friday’s series opener with 2 RBIs and a run.
McClendon gave up two more hits after the grand slam before getting out of the inning on a ground ball to himself. He finished his six-inning start with five strikeouts and one walk. He allowed 4 runs, 3 earned, on seven hits. Despite the grand slam, James said this was McClendon’s best outing of the season after holding TSU scoreless for 5 2/3 innings.
Right-handed reliever Jaxson Lucas took over in the seventh. He gave up an unearned run that inning after the Golden Lions dropped two fly balls. TSU third baseman Jaden Jones scored when UAPB shortstop Trinidad De La Garza dropped catcher Edwin De La Cruz’s throw to second on a steal attempt. This was UAPB’s third error of the inning after committing one in the first six.
James said negative momentum hurt UAPB in the seventh.
“If you got positive energy, positive stuff flow,” James said. “When you have something negative happen, it can flow as well. After we dropped the ball in centerfield, it just kind of snowballed after that. The thing I challenged them with after the game is being tough and being true Division I players. True Division I players are tough-minded.”
UAPB scored its lone run in the bottom of the seventh. Second baseman Malachi Jeffries walked with one out, then scored on a groundout by right fielder Jalyn Williams. Center fielder Gavin Terry then singled to drive him home.
TSU starter Dalton Alford (2-5) gave up just the lone run in seven innings. He struck out five hitters with three walks and four hits before giving way to the bullpen. Josiah Castro and Isaac Garcia combined to allow one hit and no walks with four strikeouts in the final two innings.
The series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.