Southern spoiled the final home game of the year for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a big offensive day.
The Jaguars defeated UAPB 16-6 in eight innings Sunday at the Torii Hunter Baseball Complex to clinch the weekend series.
Southern (22-26, 15-11 SWAC) outhit the Golden Lions 18-7 with four multi-run innings. Second baseman Kelcey White hit 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs and a run, while four other Jaguars finished with 2 RBIs apiece. Every hitter but first baseman Dylan Jones had at least one hit, and Jones walked three times and scored twice.
Like in Friday’s series opener, Southern scored 5 runs in the top of the first inning. Centerfielder Tyeler Hawkins homered to lead off the game. Designated hitter Logan Sanders and right fielder Khyle Radcliffe followed with doubles to give the Jaguars a 2-0 lead.
UAPB starting pitcher Jaedon Willis (3-5) struck out the next hitter for the first out, but third baseman Ryan Ollison singled to score Radcliffe. Ollison and Jones, who walked, later scored on a two-out single by shortstop Marcus Sanders before Willis got a ground ball to end the inning.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions got 2 runs back in the bottom half on a 2-RBI double by first baseman Ben VanMaanen, but Southern scored 3 more in the second and 2 in the third. Willis left with one out in the second. He pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing 8 runs on seven hits. He struck out two and walked two.
UAPB (15-33, 6-19) reliever Kenny Jackson retired the Jaguars in order in the fourth inning with two strikeouts, but Southern scored at least a run in each subsequent inning.
The Golden Lions used six pitchers in the game. Only Jaxson Lucas, who pitched 2/3 of an inning, did not allow a run.
Last week’s series with Grambling State was reduced to a single game because of weather, and UAPB used one pitcher in that game. Other than Lucas, who pitched one inning Saturday, none of the pitchers UAPB used had pitched in at least two weeks.
James said that time off wasn’t a negative, though.
“It actually gave them a little rest to be able to allow us to be in the game,” James said. “Win the first game, be in the second game and have then enough guys to throw this game. It gave them a break, actually, because it become a toll to where, you play the midweek games and you just don’t have enough, you’re stressing guys out.”
Southern right-hander Nick Luckett (1-4) earned his first win of the year after pitching five innings. He allowed 6 runs, 5 earned, on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Two relievers, Antoine Harris and Jerry Burkett II, held UAPB scoreless across the final three innings.
VanMaanen led the UAPB offense, hitting 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Across all three games, he hit 5 for 9 with 7 RBIs. He elevated his batting average to .382, second best on the team among qualified hitters.
James said VanMaanen, a two-way player who has pitched 20 1/3 innings out of the bullpen this season with one save, is a team player.
“He’s a guy that’s gonna do everything you ask him to do,” James said. “Last year, he was one of our better hitters, but this year, we needed him to pitch. So, he filled that role really well. At the end here with people getting hurt and tired, we needed him to get back and play in the field, and he did that without no hesitation, and still hitting the baseball.”
One notable absence from the lineup Sunday was the team’s top hitter, Edwin De La Cruz. James said De La Cruz sprained his shoulder Saturday, so he held him out to protect him and get him ready for next week’s final series at Texas Southern.
TSU (21-22, 17-6) enters next week’s series in Houston leading the SWAC West Division. It will be a short week with the series starting on Thursday and running through Saturday.
James said the Golden Lions need to rebound from the Southern series to get ready for the Tigers.
“Texas Southern has a very small ballpark, so what you want to do is, hopefully, that we can just go in there and outhit them,” James said. “We get some guys to kind of recuperate and be ready to at least throw strikes, and we’ll see how it plays out.”