MONTGOMERY, Ala. | Alabama State used a pair of big middle-inning surges and held off a late rally to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 14-10, in the opening game of a three-game SWAC series on Friday at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
The Hornets improved their conference standing behind timely hitting and opportunistic offense, overcoming multiple Arkansas-Pine Bluff scoring pushes in a high-scoring affair.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff struck first in the opening inning, using a sacrifice fly from Aaron Grant to take a 1-0 lead. Alabama State answered immediately in the bottom half, capitalizing on early miscues and clutch hitting. Alex Espaillat drove in a run on a fielder's choice before Trey Callaway delivered an RBI single to give the Hornets a 2-1 advantage.
UAPB briefly regained momentum in the third inning, tying the game at 2-2 on an RBI double from Zach Wieder. The Golden Lions then surged ahead in the fourth, plating two runs on an RBI single by Ian Smith and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-2 lead.
The game turned decisively in the bottom of the fourth inning as Alabama State erupted for a five-run frame. Callaway started the rally with an RBI single before Miguel Oropeza delivered a two-run double. Breydon Divine followed with an RBI single, and Niguel Jenkins capped the inning with a two-run home run to left-center, giving the Hornets a 7-4 lead.
Alabama State added insurance in the fifth inning when Oropeza came through again with a two-run double, extending the lead to 9-5.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff refused to go away, mounting its biggest rally in the sixth inning. The Golden Lions scored five runs on a series of timely hits, including a two-run double and multiple RBI singles, briefly cutting the deficit and keeping the game within reach at 9-10.
The Hornets responded in the bottom of the sixth with two critical runs, taking advantage of wild pitches and passed balls to push the lead back to three runs at 12-9.
Alabama State added further cushion in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Oropeza, and tacked on another run in the eighth on an RBI single from Divine to reach 14 runs.
On the mound, James Peterson earned the win in relief for Alabama State, stabilizing the game after the middle-inning swings. Reagan James was charged with the loss for Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Despite a late push from the Golden Lions, the Hornets' offense proved too much, finishing with 14 runs on a balanced attack highlighted by Oropeza, Jenkins, Divine, and Callaway, all of whom contributed key RBIs in pivotal innings.
Game two fo the series is set for Friday at 6 p.m.
