PINE BLUFF, Ark.-The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (18-19, 11-9 SWAC) baseball team captured a three-game series against the Southern Jaguars (20-10, 13-4 SWAC) at Regional Park on Sunday winning 10-1 in game one and 7-6 in game two. The Jaguars were able to avoid the three-game sweep with a 6-3 victory in the series finale.
UAPB’s Justin Moring pitched a complete game during the first contest of the doubleheader in what was an impressive performance from start to finish. Kyle Jones picked up the victory in game two as he pitched six innings allowing six earned runs.
“Justin and Kyle did a great of a job of keeping the ball down in the zone,” UAPB Head Coach Michael Bumpers said. “They worked the hitters the way we asked them to. We put out a game plan for them and they produced. Good things happen when we follow our game plan and we saw the results during the first two games of the series.”
Offensively Alex Huckabee paced the Golden Lions attack during the series as he hit a total of three homeruns during the three games.
“One time I almost hit for the cycle in high school,” said Huckabee of his hitting performance. “I’ve never hit three home runs in one day and two in one game.”
The Golden Lions baseball team set multiple team records this year and will conclude their 2009 conference home schedule with series victories over each team in their division.
The Golden Lions will now get prepared to close out conference and non-conference regular season play as they will travel Central Arkansas (April 22), Grambling State (April 25th and 26th), Univ. of Mississippi (April 29th) before wrapping up the season with a single nine inning game versus Arkansas-Little Rock (May 12th).
With the series victory over Southern the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions were able to secure a second place finish in the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Western Division. The win also clinches a number two seed for UAPB in the 2009 SWAC Baseball Tournament set to be held in Baton Rouge, La. on May 20th thru May 24th.