AP Sports Preview: Texas Southern at Florida A&M

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Interstat) — The Southwestern Athletic Conference series between Texas Southern and Florida A&M concludes Saturday with a doubleheader at Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

First pitch for the afternoon game is set for 2 p.m., with the evening game scheduled for 6 p.m. The forecast calls for 85-degree temperatures and cloudy skies.

Florida A&M (25-22) enters the day having won the first two games of the series — 4-0 on Friday and 4-2 on Thursday. Texas Southern (18-19) looks to avoid a sweep.

The Rattlers have relied heavily on right-hander Caleb Granger, who threw seven innings in Thursday’s win, allowing two earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts. Granger has been outstanding in his past three starts, posting a 2.12 ERA over 17 innings while striking out 18. He also tossed four scoreless innings against Alabama A&M on May 9.

Texas Southern will counter with left-hander Joshua Prieto, who took the loss Thursday despite allowing no hits and two earned runs over five innings, striking out three. Prieto has been inconsistent this season; he was shelled for four earned runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings against Alabama State on May 2, but threw a five-inning shutout against Prairie View on April 24.

The Tigers have lost six of their past seven games. Their only win during that stretch came April 25 at Prairie View, 14-12. Texas Southern’s offense has struggled, scoring two runs or fewer in four of those seven contests.

Florida A&M has won four of its past five, including a series sweep at Alabama A&M on May 7-9. The Rattlers’ bats have been productive, averaging 6.8 runs per game over that span.

Saturday’s pitching matchups are not confirmed, but Prieto is expected to start one game. Florida A&M could turn to Granger again, though he threw 101 pitches Thursday.

In the most recent head-to-head before this series, the Rattlers won 4-2 on Thursday. Matthew Perez went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Florida A&M, while Christopher Chavez was 3-for-5 with an RBI for Texas Southern.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-3 Florida A&M victory in a single game, and the ELO system gives the Rattlers a 66 percent probability to win.

First pitch Saturday afternoon is scheduled for 2 p.m. with the nightcap at 6 p.m.