BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (SWAC Baseball Championship) (Interstat) — Southern scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning, then held off Texas Southern 6-4 on Friday evening in the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament. The Jaguars improved to 26-22, while the Tigers fell to 19-23.

Xavier Bradley, Jacoby Radcliffe, Kameron Byrd, Kenyon Hughes, Donnell Sandifer, Glenn Green III, Beny Bikar, Genesis Prosper and Daniel McIntosh all contributed for Southern. Joshua Prieto pitched for Texas Southern.

The Tigers took an early 4-1 lead in the top of the first, but Southern answered with a four-run bottom half. Jacoby Radcliffe reached on a fielder’s choice that brought in a run on an error, Kameron Byrd walked with the bases loaded, Kenyon Hughes singled, Donny Sandifer hit a sacrifice fly and Xavier Bradley scored on a wild pitch to give Southern a 5-4 edge.

Texas Southern tied it 5-5 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Nate Lopez and another by Anthony Ruiz, then took a one-run lead in the fifth on Anthony Ruiz’s RBI single. Southern regained the lead for good in the seventh when Jaylon Lucky grounded into a double play that allowed Xavier Bradley to score unearned, making it 6-5. Shaun Williams singled home a run in the eighth for Texas Southern, but the Tigers could not complete the rally. Both teams finished with eight hits.