So far in SWAC play, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff softball team has figured out how to win on Fridays.
UAPB has yet to win a conference series, though. The Lady Lions will look to change that on the road when they face Grambling State at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon at the GSU Softball Complex in Grambling, La.
Across the first three weeks of conference play, UAPB (8-16, 3-4 SWAC) is 3-0 in series openers. Friday starting pitcher Kaydrian Fields (3-2, 3.78 ERA) has held Alcorn State, Texas Southern and Southern University to two earned runs apiece across 21 innings.
The freshman from Choctaw, Okla., has only been relieved once in three conference games and doesn’t have an outing in any game shorter than five innings. The Lady Lions defeated Alcorn 13-4 in Fields’ first SWAC start, then won her other two games 3-2.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB has yet to win a SWAC game without Fields pitching. The rest of the Alcorn series was postponed due to weather, but UAPB was trailing 5-3 entering the seventh inning when the second game was called.
Against Texas Southern and Southern, the Lady Lions went 0-4 in the Saturday doubleheaders, leading to series losses in each despite winning the opener. UAPB was shut out in the middle games of both series but scored five runs in the finale against Texas Southern and nine runs against Southern.
“We gotta come to the park with a great attitude, with a better attitude,” Lady Lions Coach Michael Bumpers said after last week’s series against Southern. “We gotta come in Saturday with a different mindset. So, we gotta figure a few things out on our end, and then kind of go from there.”
UAPB did win its opening series against Western Illinois in nonconference play with Danika Bryant (1-2, 6.92 ERA) and Karis Stewart (1-2, 7.17) teaming up to win the opener and Heidi Price (1-4, 8.71) winning the third game to claim two of three.
Grambling State (8-18, 1-8) is also looking for its first SWAC series win. The Lady Tigers have been swept twice and lost two of three to Texas Southern, winning only the middle game of the series. They are coming off an 8-6 midweek road win at East Texas A&M.
Hailei Harrell (2-5, 10.67 ERA) and Jaidan Richard (3-7, 6.12) have combined to start the first two games of each SWAC series thus far. Each has started a finale, with Zoe Roland (3-4, 2.35) starting once.
UAPB enters the weekend in fourth place in the SWAC West Division, with Grambling in fifth. With the top four qualifying for the SWAC tournament, this game has potential significance as both teams try to position themselves to make the postseason.