DI/SWAC/RRAC/Baseball
PVAMU Sports Information
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Kevin Macias blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning which set the tone for the Prairie View A&M Panthers as they defeated Wiley College 9-5 on Wednesday.
Macias’ grand slam was the third for Prairie View A&M (6-9), and the second hit by a Panther in the first inning of the game. It was Macias’ first home run of the season, and gave the Panthers a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Prairie View A&M pitcher Jordan Foster picked up the win for the Panthers after pitching one and two-thirds innings of relief. Foster (1-1) allowed only one hit and did not permit a baserunner past first base while striking out three batters.
Macias went 2-for-3 in the game, and was the only Prairie View A&M player with multiple hits against Wiley College. Carson Lee went 1-for-2 with two RBIs – an RBI single in the third inning that scored Connor Wrye, and a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Wiley College (11-6), an NAIA program located in Marshall, Texas, almost erased a four-run deficit in the top of the fifth inning. Daniel Rojas drew an RBI walk to cut the Panther lead to 6-3, which was followed by a two-RBI single from catcher Ian Maldonado.
Edward Robledo pitched four and one-thirds innings for the Panthers, and didn’t run into much trouble until the fifth. He scattered nine hits and gave up four earned runs while striking out one batter.
Frankelly Santos started for the Wildcats and gave up five earned runs over six innings. The Panthers took advantage of Wiley College’s wildness, as Santos walked four batters and hit three more, while relief pitcher Jonathon Young walked three more batters.
Prairie View A&M’s Jordan Johnson pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He had little trouble in the seventh inning, then loaded the bases in the top of the eighth before the Panthers snuffed out the rally when shortstop Walter Wells made a great read on a groundball and threw to Macias at second base for the third out.
Grant Dougherty, who went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run while playing right field, pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth.
Wells and Kevin Lahaie also collected RBIs in the game. Wells has hit in his past nine games, and reached base in all 15 of Prairie View A&M’s contests.
The Panthers return to action Saturday when they host Grambling State to open a three-game SWAC West Division series. Saturday’s doubleheader is set for a noon start, with Sunday’s game scheduled for 1 p.m.