A Rain‑Soaked Thriller in Birmingham
Arkansas-Pine Bluff opened the 2026 SWAC Baseball Tournament with a 6-4 victory over Bethune-Cookman, turning a 5-0 lead into a hard-fought win.
The Golden Lions struck first, building a five-run advantage before the Wildcats answered with a four-run fifth inning highlighted by Andrey Martinez’s three-run homer.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff added an insurance run in the ninth, stretching the margin to two, but the game was halted by a more than hour-long rain delay that tested both teams’ resolve.
Despite the weather interruption, the Lions’ bullpen limited Bethune-Cookman to a single run after starter Edwin Sanchez was lifted, and the combined 13-9 hit total underscored a tightly contested night that featured only four strikeouts.
Looking Ahead to an Elimination Clash
Bethune-Cookman, the regular-season champion, now faces Grambling State in a Thursday afternoon elimination game, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff will look to carry the momentum forward.
The performance also marked the first loss of the season for Sanchez against a conference opponent, a milestone that adds a narrative twist to the tournament’s unfolding story.