Jags sweep UAPB in weekend Triple Header

Jaguar baseball faced off against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a high scoring weekend double header that featured a back and forth contest between the two teams throughout the 3-game series.
Friday’s 3pm game saw the Jaguar pitching unit create outs all evening for the Jags, who ran away with a lead well before the 9th inning. With home runs from both Coby Taylor and Tyler LaPorte, the Jaguars recorded 18 hits en route to the a comfortable victory over UAPB to start the weekend.
On the strength of their pitching, with junior LHP Jerome Bohannon II serving up 48 strikes, and ability to add up runs, the Jags were able run away with game one with a score of 16-4 to end their first game of the series.
Friday’s second game saw a similar game played as the first, with both team’s pitching doing their jobs on the evening, allowing only 8 hits to go along with 4 runs on the evening.
Hampton Hudson, a junior outfielder for the Jags, was responsible for two runs on the night, along with a homerun, to lead Southern to victory. The Jags won the 2nd game of the series with a score of 9-4 on the night.
The final game of the series took place on Saturday afternoon at Lee Hines Field, as the Jags looked to sweep UAPB 3-0 in their last home game until March 22.
Unlike both other games, Saturday saw UAPB come out strong and hang with Southern throughout the afternoon. Giving up thirteen runs on the afternoon, the Jags’ pitching had an up-and-down day.
Despite giving up more runs than they had during either of the two previous matchups, the Jags were still able to outscore UAPB behind their efficient hitting, with four separate Jaguars scoring runs on the day.
Regarding his own contributions to the sweep of UAPB, senior infielder Tyler LaPorte spoke about the day they had trying to finish this series out.
“I just tried to stay within myself, not try to do too much, go to the plate with confidence, and help my teammates win,” said LaPorte in regards to his own performance at the plate on Saturday afternoon.
With Tyler LaPorte tallying two homeruns on the day, the Jags were able to hold off the UAPB Golden Lions with a score of 16-13, completing the sweep on UAPB heading into a SWAC triple-header on the road vs Texas Southern.
Coach Kerrick Jackson also spoke to the media after Saturday’s game and gave insight as to just how much faith he has in LaPorte and what he can do for this team going forward.
“I can always count on him in a big situation. He loves the moment [and] wants to be the guy in that spot,” said Jackson.
Going 9-33 last season, the Jags have already matched last years win total as they are 9-6 (3-0 in the SWAC), and after the game, it was evident that Coach Jackson couldn’t be more excited about how his team has played and how much better they can be going forward.
“I’m going to hold off before I say Southern is back,” said a smiling Head Coach Kerrick Jackson after the game. We actually should have put the game away long before [we did],” said Jackson.