Under the bright lights and historic ivy of Wrigley Field, Alabama A&M delivered a statement performance Saturday night, outslugging Prairie View A&M 10-7 in a SWAC showdown in the Chicago HBCU Baseball Classic.
Bulldogs catcher Zak Rice put on an MVP-worthy display, going 3-for-4 with four RBIs, while Miles Jackson sparked the offense from the top of the lineup, finishing 3-for-6 with three runs scored on the night.
Alabama A&M wasted no time setting the tone. Jackson worked a leadoff walk in the first and quickly came around to score on Rice’s sharp single to right, giving the Bulldogs an early edge. Prairie View A&M (9-35, 5-18 SWAC) answered right back, knotting the score at 1-1 by the end of the opening frame.
The back-and-forth battle continued through the early innings. Keilon Parnell’s patient at-bat led to a leadoff walk in the second, and he later scored on a Jackson groundout to reclaim a 2-1 lead. But the Panthers responded again, using DeShon Middleton’s triple to even things at 2-2.
Alabama A&M bats overpowered Panthers
From there, Alabama A&M began to seize control.
In the third, the Bulldogs capitalized on free passes and defensive miscues. Rice and Keondre Fields drew consecutive walks before AJ Anderson reached on an error to load the bases. A wild pitch brought Rice home, and Parnell added another RBI on a groundout to make it 4-2.
The Bulldogs kept the pressure on in the fourth. Devante Wells ignited the inning with a walk, Jackson followed with a base hit, and after a sacrifice bunt, Tarris Murray lifted a sacrifice fly to score Wells. Rice stayed hot, lining a single to plate Jackson and extending the lead to 6-2.
Bulldogs pitching held the lead late
Then came the knockout punch.
Alabama A&M broke the game wide open with a four-run sixth inning. Rice delivered again with a clutch two-RBI single to right-center, scoring Wells and Jackson. Fields added a bunt single, Anderson drew a bases-loaded walk, and Parnell capped the inning with a sacrifice fly as the Bulldogs surged ahead 10-2.
Prairie View A&M refused to fold, rallying for three runs in the sixth and adding another in the eighth to chip away at the deficit. The Panthers made things tense in the ninth, pushing across one more run and threatening a comeback before Alabama A&M finally slammed the door.
On the mound, Anthony Mateo steadied himself after early trouble to earn the win, improving to 4-4 on the season. The right-hander worked seven innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Evan Hurlburt and Edyn Barber combined to finish off the final two innings and secure the historic victory.
