With the game and series on the line, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff turned to Edwin De La Cruz.
The senior delivered a walk-off hit to salvage a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon against Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils won the first game 13-2, but UAPB won the second 5-4.
UAPB coach Carlos James said De La Cruz, who has the SWAC’s second-best batting average at .444, was an easy choice when he was looking for a pinch hitter.
“Eddie’s more mature,” James said. “He’s been here a long time, and I figured the moment wouldn’t be too big for him.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB (7-7) trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth inning. Valley starting pitcher Blake Bax started the inning with two groundouts and needed one more out to clinch the weekend series.
Bax hit Jalyn Williams with a pitch, then walked Malachi Jeffries. JaKobi Jackson hit an RBI single up the middle to score a run. With runners on the corners, MVSU (5-6) pulled Bax for reliever Craig McGee.
De La Cruz came into the game as a pinch hitter and hit the ball off the right field wall to score both runners and win the game.
De La Cruz said he knew what he wanted to do at the plate after watching McGee’s warmups.
“I was just ready to hit once he got into that zone,” De La Cruz said. “I knew he was going to be in the strike zone, because I saw him warming up. He only took, like, four pitches, so I was ready to hit, pretty much.”
Senior pitcher Jacob Ehling started the game for UAPB. After the Golden Lions had allowed 13 runs off nine hits in the first game, Ehling gave UAPB six innings. He allowed 3 runs off six hits but only walked two hitters while striking out seven.
Jaxson Lucas took over in the seventh. He gave up 1 run on four hits but did enough to keep the game within reach.
James said Ehling has been sore over the past few weeks but should return to being UAPB’s Friday night starter in a couple weeks.
“Just with him being on the mound gave the guys some type of confidence,” James said. “He’s always a gamer. And then Jaxson Lucas, man, he was the ERA leader in the conference right now, so he’s pitched very well this year, too. The good thing is, our pitching staff in the second ball game, after giving up 13 in the first one, they kept it close enough to give us an opportunity to come back and win.”
Valley won the first game behind a complete-game performance from starter Armando Sierra. He held the Golden Lions to 2 runs off five hits and one walk with four strikeouts. After stranding two runners in the first inning, he did not allow another baserunner until the seventh, at one point retiring 16-straight hitters.
Valley transfer Calvin McClendon started the game for UAPB but struggled against his former team. The Delta Devils scored 3 runs in the first inning and 2 in the second off five hits.
James said UAPB didn’t play well Saturday, but he is glad the players fought back to give themselves a chance to win the series Sunday.
“I think we took Mississippi Valley lightly,” James said. “They got a good team, but I think our guys came out and was playing against the name on the chest, and that team jumped on our butt that first game and put it to us, and then that second game, it was hard to kind of recover from the first game… At the end of the day, you want to win the series, so we put ourself in that position, and I’m proud of the guys for fighting back.”