NEW ORLEANS – Defending SWAC champion Texas Southern shut out Arkansas-Pine Bluff 10-0 to advance in the 2016 SWAC Baseball Tournament at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
Texas Southern opened the game with two quick runs, compliments of a Chris Scroggins (1-for-3, 3 RBI) two-run single, and the Tigers added to its lead with a O.J. Oloruntimilehin solo home run in the second.
The Tigers made the game 4-0 thanks to a Richard Alamo RBI base hit that scored Jose Cabreja. Meanwhile, Texas Southern's Robert Pearson was able to put the clamps on the Golden Lions' offense for much of the contest, as he pitched a four-hit shutout while striking out six as he improved to 4-4 on the season.Â
In the fifth, UAPB looked poised for a response, as Jacquese Moore and Jaylen Jackson delivered back-to-back singles to get two runners on with two outs. However, Pearson forced Jordan Knox to fly out, ending the threat.
In the sixth, the defending champions continued to apply pressure, as Joel Alicea-Rosario dropped a RBI single into shallow center, kicking off a four-run inning that doubled the Tigers' lead.
In the seventh inning, Texas Southern put it away when Alicea-Rosario (2-for-4) smacked a two-run double to centerfield to force the run rule win. Kamren Dukes was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
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