BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Southern University struck early, held off multiple comeback attempts and survived another long night at Rickwood Field.
The Jaguars built a five-run first inning lead Thursday night and never fully surrendered control, defeating Texas Southern 6-4 in a weather-delayed elimination game at the SWAC Baseball Tournament.
SU improved to 29-22 overall and advanced deeper into Bracket A, while Texas Southern’s season came to an end after a gritty late-tournament push.
Southern explodes early against Texas Southern
SU wasted no time taking control.
The Jaguars scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, capitalizing on Texas Southern mistakes and shaky pitching from starter Zac Laviage.
Ryan Hunter scored the game’s first run after a muffed throw by the catcher on a fielder’s choice. Kameron Byrd followed with an RBI walk before Kenyon Hughes added an RBI single to right field.
Southern kept the pressure on from there.
Donny Sandifer added a sacrifice fly, and another run scored on a wild pitch to give the Jaguars a commanding 5-0 lead before Texas Southern could settle into the game.
That inning proved to be the difference.
Texas Southern slowly chips away
Texas Southern responded in the third inning.
Nate Lopez delivered a sacrifice fly to score Elijah Rodriguez before Anthony Ruiz added another sacrifice fly later in the inning to trim the deficit to 5-2.
The Tigers continued clawing back in the fifth inning when Ruiz singled through the right side to score Christopher Chavez and make it a two-run game.
Southern finally answered again in the seventh inning.
Xavier Bradley scored on a double-play ball off the bat of Jaylon Lucky, extending the Jaguars’ lead to 6-3 and providing valuable breathing room entering the late innings.
Texas Southern threatened one final time in the eighth inning when Shaun Williams singled home Tanner Marek to cut the deficit to 6-4, but Southern reliever Caleb Ellis closed the door over the final two innings.
Southern bullpen delivers in clutch moments
SU used three pitchers to navigate the win.
Daniel McIntosh started and worked three innings before Genesis Prosper entered in relief and earned the victory after allowing one run across three innings.
Ellis handled the final three innings for his seventh save of the season, striking out three while working around traffic late.
Texas Southern finished with eight hits and drew seven walks but stranded 10 runners.
The Jags matched the Tigers with eight hits of its own while drawing eight walks and forcing four Texas Southern errors.
Key performers in Southern vs. Texas Southern
Jaguars
- Kenyon Hughes — 2-for-4, RBI
- Ryan Hunter — 2-for-5, run scored
- Kameron Byrd — RBI, two walks
- Genesis Prosper — Winning pitcher (3.0 IP, 1 ER)
- Caleb Ellis — Save (3.0 IP, 3 K)
Tigers
- Anthony Ruiz — 2-for-4, 2 RBI
- Christopher Chavez — 2-for-3, 2 walks
- Shaun Williams — RBI single, run scored
- Zac Laviage — Loss after allowing five runs in first inning
SWAC Tournament bracket update
The Jaguars advance to face Florida A&M in Bracket A at 1pm EST on Saturday, as the SWAC Tournament schedule continued shifting because of weather delays throughout the week.