BIRMINGHAM (Interstat) — The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions erased a five-run deficit with a seven-run eighth inning to defeat the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats 13-8 on Saturday evening at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field in a Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament game.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff, now 24-33, outhit Bethune-Cookman 17-10 and won for the second time in four days against the Wildcats, who entered with a 38-20 record. The Golden Lions scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead, but Bethune-Cookman rallied with two runs in the bottom of the fourth and then erupted for six runs in the sixth to go ahead 8-3.

The Wildcats’ sixth-inning outburst began with Maikol Lucena being hit by a pitch and Jose Fernandez walking. Jeter Polledo doubled to drive in Lucena, and Christopher Watson followed with a two-run single that scored Polledo and Fernandez. After an error and a stolen base, Andrey Martinez delivered a two-run single, and Michael Rodriguez added an RBI single to cap the inning. The Wildcats used a combination of hits, walks and an error to send 10 batters to the plate.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff responded immediately. In the seventh inning, Jose Vasquez reached on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Zach Wieder. Aaron Grant then doubled home Weston Gingerich, and Lazaro Alvarado doubled to score Grant, cutting the deficit to 8-6.

The decisive eighth inning saw the Golden Lions send 12 batters to the plate. Vinny Saumell singled and Konner Giddley doubled to put runners at second and third. Vasquez doubled down the left-field line to score both and tie the game at 8-8. Gingerich singled to bring home Vasquez and put Arkansas-Pine Bluff ahead. After a single by Wieder and a hit by pitch, Zyon Hamilton singled to center field, with the ball misplayed by the catcher, allowing two runs to score and extending the lead to 11-8. Saumell then singled to center to drive in two more, making it 13-8.

The Golden Lions bullpen held Bethune-Cookman hitless over the final three innings. Ryland Morin started for Arkansas-Pine Bluff but left in the fourth. Emerson Lott, Nate Lee and Brendan Hamlin combined to keep the Wildcats off the scoreboard after the sixth.

Zyon Hamilton finished with three RBIs, including the key two-run single in the eighth. Jose Vasquez contributed a two-run double and scored twice. Aaron Grant had three hits and an RBI, and Vinny Saumell collected three hits and drove in two runs. For Bethune-Cookman, Jeter Polledo had two RBIs, Christopher Watson drove in two, and Andrey Martinez added two RBIs.

The game was the third meeting between the teams in a week. Arkansas-Pine Bluff had won 6-4 on May 20, while Bethune-Cookman had taken two of three in a series on May 1-2.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arkansas-Pine Bluff 4, Bethune-Cookman 8, and its ELO system gave Bethune-Cookman a 78.50 percent probability to win.