PREVIEW: Southern hosts Alabama A&M in SWAC baseball

BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — Southern University hosts Alabama A&M in a Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball game Thursday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field.

The Jaguars (21-21) enter the matchup after sweeping Mississippi Valley State on the road May 1-3, while the Bulldogs (7-41) have lost six straight, including a doubleheader sweep at home against Florida A&M on May 9.

Southern’s offense has been powered by designated hitter Glenn Green, who is batting .500 (9-for-18) over his last four games with one home run and eight RBIs. In the series finale at Mississippi Valley State on May 3, Green went 5-for-6 with three RBIs in a 12-8 victory. He also drove in four runs on May 1, going 3-for-6 with a home run. The Jaguars have won four of their last five games and are hitting .310 as a team during that stretch.

Alabama A&M’s top threat is second baseman Tervell Johnson, who has shown power in recent weeks despite the team’s struggles. Johnson homered in back-to-back games on May 9 (against Florida A&M) and May 3 (at Prairie View), driving in two runs in each contest. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .321 (9-for-28) with three home runs and seven RBIs. However, the Bulldogs have been outscored 67-33 in their six-game losing streak and have not won a series since April 25 against Jackson State.

Thursday’s game is the opener of a three-game weekend series. Southern and Alabama A&M will also meet Friday and Saturday, both at Alex Box Stadium.

The forecast calls for clear skies and a temperature of 85 degrees at first pitch.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-2 win for Southern.