PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened Southwestern Athletic Conference home play with a statement Saturday afternoon, holding off Mississippi Valley State 7-5 at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex to move to 2-0 in conference play. The Golden Lions battled back from an early deficit, answered every Valley run with one of their own, and pulled away late behind a clutch eighth-inning rally to take the series opener.
Kenney Fabian took the ball as the UAPB starter and delivered five solid innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while walking two and striking out six. He worked out of trouble repeatedly, keeping the Valley offense from breaking the game open before handing things over to the bullpen. Jack Hasten bridged the gap with two innings of work before Brendan Hamlin slammed the door, earning the win after tossing two scoreless frames and striking out four batters — including a strikeout of the side in the ninth to put the game away.
UAPB got on the board in the second inning when Blake Coleman led off with a single to left, moved to third on a Konner Giddley sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Dane Small single to right. The Golden Lions added two more in the third as Ian Smith singled, advanced to third on a Zach Wieder single to right, and came home on a Blake Coleman single to center. Wieder then scored on a passed ball to extend the lead to 3-1 heading into the fourth.
Valley tied the game at three through the first five innings, but UAPB wasted no time reclaiming the advantage. In the fifth, Aaron Grant singled and Zach Wieder reached on an error before Grant scored on a passed ball to make it 4-3. With two outs and the bases loaded, Dane Small drew a walk to force in Wieder and push the lead to 5-3. The Golden Lions responded to Valley's eighth-inning surge — which tied the game at five — with an immediate answer of their own. Aaron Grant and Wieder each drew walks before Joe Adams stepped in off the bench and lined a two-run single to left field, scoring both runners and putting UAPB up 7-5 for good.
Zach Wieder was the heartbeat of the Golden Lions offense, crossing the plate three times to pace the UAPB attack. Aaron Grant went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Coleman finished with two hits and an RBI, while Small contributed a hit, two walks, and two RBI from the eight hole. Adams delivered the biggest blow of the night in his only plate appearance, his two-run single in the eighth proving to be the difference.
The Golden Lions will look to complete the sweep Sunday morning with first pitch set for 11:00 AM at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.
