The Prairie View A&M baseball team (15-17, 9-6) went 2-2 on their road trip beating out Arkansas Pine Bluff twice and losing a game each to Arkansas Pine Bluff and Sam Houston State this past week.
In the first contest, the Panthers traveled to Huntsville, Texas for a date with the Bearkats of Sam Houston State University. The Panthers jumped out to a quick lead when Myrio Richard scored off a Greg Ford single in the first inning. The lead was short lived, though, as the Bearkats reeled off nine runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by Keith Stein’s three RBIs.
The Panthers quickly retaliated with three runs in the second inning, but couldn’t get in a rhythm as Sam Houston went to town for a 14-7 win over the Panthers.
As the road trip continued, the team traveled across state lines to face the Golden Lions of UAPB in a three-game series. The first day in Pine Bluff brought about a double header.
In the first contest, the Panthers skated by the Golden Lions for an 8-2 victory. Charlie Aceto got the win by holding UAPB to two runs on five hits in 6.1 innings of work. The Panthers’ steady diet of singles in addition to the Golden Lion errors helped to create the eight runs needed for the win.
In the second game of the day, the Panthers struggled as UAPB took the 9-5 win. The Lions jumped out to a three run lead with some excellent base running during the bottom of the first inning. During next few innings both teams worked hard, but couldn’t produce any runs until the six run explosion in the fifth. The Panthers started off the scoring with a three run top of the fifth inning, tying the game when George McDonald scored on a Richard fly out to left field. UAPB came back strong in the bottom of the inning accentuated by Jerome McCollum’s two run homer to deep center with two outs. From then on, the Panthers didn’t have to bat to get them the win as the Golden Lions took the victory heading into the rubber match.
The final game of the series was an exciting one as the two western division contenders combined for 30 runs. The Panthers won the game, 18-12, thanks to a flurry of hits and a six RBI game by John Villapando. Villapando’s six RBIs are a team season high and was the first in a series of season highs of the day. The Panthers also surpassed the team highs for hits (20), and five doubles while tying team highs for runs (18), RBIs (17), and total bases (30).
The Panther baseball team has readied itself for a three game series with Grambling State, a doubleheader on April 12 at 1 p.m. and April 13 at 1 p.m. in Grambling, La.