PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Stephen F. Austin defeated Prairie View A&M 11-7 in the 10th inning to pick up their second victory against the Panthers on the year. SFA improves to 6-7 while PVAMU falls to 2-12.
The Panthers kept the Lumberjacks relatively quiet for the most part in the first half of the game, letting only one run score in the second inning off an RBI double from Julian Thompson. Then the Panthers began to bring the bats out in the third inning when they scored four runs off of four singles and a double.
After a hitless third through fifth inning for the Lumberjacks, Cody Fleischer brought SFA back within one with his first home run of the year, bringing in two with a shot over the center field fence. The ‘Jacks kept the scoring going into the next inning when Tom Biggs recorded an RBI infield single followed by a sacrifice fly from Peyton Parker. At the end of seven innings, the Lumberjacks regained the lead at 5-4.
Both teams traded blows in the eight inning when each team exchanged one run. In the top half of the inning, Scout Sanders was able to lay down a sac bunt and score Cole Hill from third. In the bottom half of the inning, the Panthers were able to string a double and a single together to put one on the board.
Skip AdThe ‘Jacks went into the bottom of the ninth with a 6-5 lead, hoping to get three batters out and close the game. However, after a walk and a sac bunt to move the runner to second, the Panthers were able to tie the game up at six apiece with a single to center field that was able to bring home the runner from second. For the third time in the season, SFA was taking the game into extra innings.
The Lumberjacks wasted no time in the top of the 10th, as they filled up the bases on their first three batters. On their fourth batter of the inning, Sanders was able to give the ‘Jacks the lead with a sacrifice fly to right field. The ‘Jacks were then able to put up another run when the next two batters got hit by the pitch then walked. Parker then stepped up to the plate and added insult to injury and cleared the bases with a double down the left field line, giving SFA an 11-6 lead which was big enough to hold off the Panthers in the bottom half of the inning.
Parker’s big double in the 10th capped off a big offensive day for him, as he went 2-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs. Fleischer and Sanders both collected two hits on the day as well and both picked up two RBIs.
The Lumberjacks look to carry this momentum into Abilene as they take on the Wildcats in a three-game weekend series, their first WAC series of the year.