A breakout baseball season for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ended with a quick exit from the SWAC Baseball Tournament on Thursday.
Southern University defeated UAPB 17-11 in an elimination game at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala.
No. 7-seed Southern (24-26) tallied 18 hits and took advantage of four UAPB errors to overcome 7-0 start by the Golden Lions. Designated hitter Taj Bates and right fielder Kameron Byrd each drove in 4 RBIs, with Byrd scoring 3 runs. Left fielder Cardell Thibodeaux, the SWAC Player of the Year, hit 4 for 5 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs.
After falling behind early in Wednesday’s loss to Grambling State, No. 4-seed UAPB (19-34) got off to a stronger start on Thursday. Shortstop Jesus Riera hit a no-doubt grand slam to left field during a 5-run first inning which was so obvious off the bat, the Southern left fielder didn’t move. Riera finished the game 1 for 3 with 5 RBIs and a run.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB left fielder Gavin Terry added a 2-run home run to right field in the second inning, extending the Golden Lions’ lead to 7-0.
It didn’t last. Southern fought back with a 5-run top of the third inning, which included a 3-run home run by Bates. The Jaguars added 2 runs in the fourth inning to tie the game, though UAPB center fielder Eli Gries-Smith restored the lead in the bottom half on an RBI double.
The Jaguars took the lead with a 4-run top of the sixth on three hits and two errors. Southern added a run in the seventh and 2 in the eighth before Byrd hit a 3-run home run in the ninth.
UAPB scored 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh to trim the deficit to 12-11 at the time, but Southern reliever Genesis Prosper closed things out with three scoreless innings.
Freshman left-hander Major Spence started for UAPB. He started with two scoreless innings before the Jaguars chased him with the 5-run third.
The loss ended UAPB’s season, the first under head coach Logan Stout. The Golden Lions won 17 SWAC games, the school’s most since 2002, and reached the tournament for the first time since 2019.