BATON ROUGE, La. — Southern University showcased both resilience and firepower on Saturday, rallying late in game one before erupting offensively in game two to complete a Southwestern Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Lady Jaguar Field.
 
Game 1: Southern 5, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
Southern (27-12, 13-5 SWAC) leaned on timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and lockdown relief pitching to secure a 5-3 comeback victory in the opener.
 
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11-21, 4-9) struck first with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run that gave the Golden Lions early control. The Lady Jaguars, however, wasted little time responding.
 
In the bottom half of the fourth, Southern flipped the momentum. Katiana Maldonado ignited the rally with her speed on the bases, swiping multiple bags and eventually scoring. Ariel Burton delivered an RBI single, and the Lady Jaguars capitalized on wild pitches and defensive lapses to plate three runs and tie the game at 3-3.
 
Southern carried that energy into the fifth inning. Asia George reached and once again applied pressure on the basepaths, setting up a go-ahead sacrifice fly from Laila Clark. Moments later, Abigail Mitchell came through with a clutch RBI single up the middle to extend the lead to 5-3.
 
From there, the Jaguars turned it over to Aaliyah Zabala, who was dominant in relief. The right-hander tossed three shutout innings, allowing just two hits while keeping UAPB off balance to earn her 13th win of the season. Southern's defense backed her effort, shutting down any scoring threats late.
 
At the plate, Maldonado and Ava Wallace each recorded two hits, while the Jaguars' aggressiveness resulted in multiple stolen bases that proved to be a difference-maker.
 
Game 2: Southern 10, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2 (5 innings)
If game one was about patience, game two was all about power.
 
Southern wasted no time seizing control, delivering a statement in the bottom of the first inning with an explosive eight-run outburst. Asia George jumpstarted the inning with a leadoff home run to left, immediately energizing the Lady Jaguars' dugout.
 
The offensive barrage continued as Clark collected multiple hits in the inning, and Burton added to the pressure with a base knock and stolen base. Jaciee Massey delivered a key two-RBI single, and Prestaisha White delivered the knockout punch with a towering three-run home run to cap the inning.
 
Taking advantage of defensive miscues by UAPB, Southern turned eight hits into eight runs in the opening frame, effectively putting the game out of reach early.
 
The Lady Jaguars didn't let up. Kira Manganello launched a solo home run in the third inning, and Clark added another long ball in the fourth to extend the lead to 10-0.
 
In the circle, Chakirrious Parker delivered one of her most efficient outings of the season. The right-hander tossed 4.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out two. She kept UAPB hitters off balance all afternoon, working quickly and pounding the strike zone.
 
Although Arkansas-Pine Bluff managed to score two runs in the fifth inning, the early deficit proved too much to overcome as Southern secured the run-rule victory.
 
UP NEXT
Southern will be on the road next weekend when the Lady Jaguars face Grambling in the final road games of the season starting on April 17.
 
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