The softball team leading the SWAC West Division travels to Jefferson County this weekend to face a University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff softball team seeking redemption.
UAPB will host Prairie View A&M at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., at the Torii Hunter Softball Complex.
UAPB (10-23, 5-10 SWAC) is seeking to bounce back after a shocking sweep by last place Alcorn State earlier this week.
Prairie View A&M (17-17, 11-3) swept UAPB last month in Prairie View, Texas, despite two stellar outings by UAPB ace pitcher Kayla Adams. The Lady Panthers held UAPB to 1 total run across three games.
UAPB bounced back from the losses at Prairie View by winning two of three games against second place Texas Southern the following weekend. The Lady Lions will look for a similar bounce back this weekend with the Lady Panthers coming off a home series loss to Southern, which won two of three in Prairie View earlier this week.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Adams did not pitch in UAPB’s three games against Alcorn. UAPB has not officially announced her status for this weekend, though sources near the program told the Commercial UAPB held her out against the Lady Braves out of caution ahead of a key series against the division leaders.
UAPB has yet to win a SWAC game this season in which Adams did not pitch. Adams also has the team’s second-best batting average, .308, with a team-leading two triples.
Prairie View used three pitchers against UAPB, all of whom rank in the top 12 in the SWAC. The Lady Panthers have a fourth, Madalyne Martinez, who didn’t face UAPB the first time but ranks 10th in the conference with a 3.86 ERA.
Adams’ 2.42 ERA leads the SWAC, but no other UAPB pitcher ranks higher than 24th.
The Lady Lions committed 15 errors in three games against Alcorn, something which cannot happen against Prairie View if UAPB is to have any hope of an upset.