HOUSTON — Texas Southern defeated Huston-Tillotson 8–5 on Tuesday afternoon at MacGregor Park, using a 13‑hit performance and a steady start from right‑hander Zach Laviage to move to 4–3 on the season.
The Tigers were led by first baseman Eli Cabassa, who turned in a perfect 5‑for‑5 day that included a home run, two doubles and an RBI. His solo shot to left in the third inning broke a 1–1 tie and put TSU ahead for good.
Texas Southern added to its lead in the fifth when Evan Rodriguez and Zach Pace delivered back‑to‑back RBI doubles, pushing the advantage to 4–1. Rodriguez finished with two hits, two runs and an RBI, while Pace added a double, RBI and run scored.
The Tigers broke the game open in the seventh. After Rodriguez singled and Pace was hit by a pitch, Matthew Morales drove in a run with a pinch‑hit single. Christian Chavez followed by sending a pitch over the left‑field wall for a three‑run homer, scoring Morales and Pace to extend the lead to 8–3.
Laviage earned the win, allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks over five innings. He faced just 19 batters and kept the Rams off balance early. Huston-Tillotson added single runs in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, including a solo home run from N. Alvarez in the final frame, but TSU's early offense held firm.
