PEARL, Miss. — Texas Southern opened the 2026 campaign with a fast start and timely execution on both sides of the ball, defeating Alabama A&M 6–4 on Friday morning at Trustmark Park. The Tigers scored in three of the first five innings and held off a late Bulldog rally to secure their first win of the season.
Texas Southern struck quickly in the first inning, loading the bases with one out before Jared Trejo was hit by a pitch to bring home the season's first run. Moments later, Miguel Mueses delivered a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Eric Cabassa to score and give TSU an early 2–0 advantage.
The Tigers extended their lead in the second as Eddie Rodriguez reached on a walk and later scored on Nick Lopez's RBI bunt single. Cabassa followed with a sacrifice fly to left, pushing the margin to 4–0. Lopez finished the morning with a team‑high three RBI, including a two‑run single in the fifth that stretched the Tigers' lead to 6–1
On the mound, J.P. Peña set the tone with six efficient innings, allowing just three earned runs on five hits while striking out two. Peña stranded multiple runners and kept the Bulldogs off balance until turning the ball over to the bullpen. Kobe Parker and Joseph Luccioni handled the final three innings, with Luccioni earning the save after tossing 2.1 scoreless frames with two strikeouts.
Alabama A&M cut the deficit to 6–4 in the seventh with a three‑run inning, but Luccioni shut the door by retiring eight of the final 10 batters he faced. The Tigers' defense also came up big late, overcoming a pair of throwing errors to leave the tying run on base in the ninth.
Cabassa and Lopez both recorded multi‑RBI games, while Tanner Marek and Cabassa each tallied two hits. Texas Southern finished with 10 hits overall and turned in a clean performance on the basepaths, including a stolen base from Rodriguez.
