BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The top seed is suddenly fighting to survive. Arkansas-Pine Bluff jumped out to an early lead and held off a late Bethune-Cookman rally Wednesday night to pull off a 6-4 upset at Rickwood Field in the opening round of the 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament.
The Golden Lions built a 5-0 advantage before the Wildcats stormed back with a four-run fifth inning, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff delivered an insurance run in the ninth and escaped a tense final frame after a weather delay halted play for more than an hour.
With the loss, SWAC regular season champion Bethune-Cookman dropped into the elimination bracket and will now face Grambling State at 1 p.m. EST Thursday. Arkansas-Pine Bluff advanced in the winner’s bracket after one of the tournament’s biggest opening-day surprises.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff jumps out early
Arkansas-Pine Bluff wasted little time putting pressure on Bethune-Cookman starter Edwin Sanchez.
Zach Wieder opened the scoring with a double before Aaron Grant delivered an RBI single in the first inning. Blake Coleman added another RBI single, and Nick Hockemeyer followed with a sacrifice fly to give UAPB a 3-0 lead.
The Golden Lions extended the margin in the second inning when Konner Giddley scored on a Weston Gingerich sacrifice fly, then added another run in the fourth after Zyon Hamilton tripled and later scored on Giddley’s RBI single.
Edwin Sanchez takes first SWAC loss
Sanchez, one of the SWAC’s top pitchers all season, lasted just three innings before being lifted after Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s fifth run.
The loss marked his first defeat against a SWAC opponent this season.
Wildcats roar back behind Andrey Martinez homer
Bethune-Cookman finally broke through in the fifth inning.
Jeter Polledo was hit by a pitch before Christopher Watson singled. Sergio Rivera followed with an RBI bunt single to put the Wildcats on the board.
Moments later, Andrey Martinez blasted a three-run home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-4 and bringing the Rickwood Field crowd back to life.
The Wildcats threatened multiple times after that but could not complete the comeback.
Jose Fernandez reached scoring position in the eighth inning before Arkansas-Pine Bluff escaped without surrendering the tying run.
Rain delay adds drama to ninth inning
Arkansas-Pine Bluff added a key insurance run in the ninth inning when Gingerich doubled and later scored on Grant’s sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 6-4.
Bethune-Cookman mounted one final push in the bottom of the ninth.
Watson singled and advanced to third base before lightning and rain delayed the game at 11:02 p.m. EST. Play resumed more than an hour later, but Arkansas-Pine Bluff retired the final two hitters to seal the victory.
Bullpen keeps Bethune-Cookman alive
Despite the loss, Bethune-Cookman’s bullpen gave the Wildcats a chance to rally.
Andris Barroso and Jean Carlo Zambrano combined to pitch six innings while allowing just one run after Sanchez exited early.
Martinez paced the offense with his three-run homer, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff out-hit Bethune-Cookman 13-9 in the victory. The two teams combined for only four strikeouts all night.
What’s next for Bethune-Cookman?
Now, the pressure shifts squarely onto the Wildcats.
One more loss ends the regular season champions’ tournament run before the weekend even begins.
Bethune-Cookman will face Grambling State in an elimination game Thursday afternoon at Rickwood Field.