Baseball drops rubber match to PVAMU 5-4

HOUSTON- The Texas Southern University Tiger baseball team dropped the rubber match of their series against their rival, the Prairie View A&M Panthers, 5-4 at MacGregor Park on Sunday afternoon.
 
The contest was scoreless through the first two innings.  In the third frame, the Panthers got on the board with a two-run homer from first baseman, Angel Avalos.  In the bottom half of the inning, Tiger third baseman, Gerreck Jimenez, drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to one run.
 
The score remained 2-1 until PVAMU scored in the sixth when Avalos scored on a fielder's choice.  The Panthers plated two more runners in the eight inning off a pinch-hit double by Marlan Chatman to push the lead to 5-1.
 
TSU mounted a comeback in the bottom half of the frame.  Tiger shortstop, Richard Alamo, lined a triple to deep right field, scoring designated hitter, Chris Scroggins.  Alamo was plated the next play on a single by second baseman, Ryan Lazo.  Lazo then stole second and third and was eventually driven home by centerfielder, Kamren Dukes.  Dukes followed Lazo's lead and stole second and third but was stranded by pinch hitter, Olajide Oloruntimilehin.  The Tigers went into the ninth inning down 5-4.
 
Relief pitcher, Robert Pearson, kept the deficit at one to give TSU a chance in the bottom of the ninth.  Jimenez led off for the Tigers with a single but first baseman, Joel Rosario-Alicea, grounded into a double play.  After a single by Scroggins, pinch-hitter, Blake Hicks, grounded out to shortstop to end the game.
 
TSU starting pitcher, Seth Oliver, pitched well in defeat.  He threw seven innings, giving up four runs on five hits and struck out seven Panther batters.  Oliver was credited with the loss.  
  
Alamo went 3-3 at the plate, including the RBI triple, raising his team-leading batting average to .400 on the season.  He also added a stolen base.  Kamren Dukes was the only other Tiger to get multiple hits as he went 2-4 with an RBI.
           
The loss drops TSU's overall record to 4-8 and its conference record to 1-2.  The Tigers will look to get back into the win column when they play at Houston Baptist University on Tuesday at 3:00 pm.