| Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament is just a little over a week away and the Clark Atlanta University Panthers are looking to make a big late season push to secure their place in the tourney.

The top four teams in the SIAC's East and West divisions qualify for the tournament.  The Panthers are in a battle with Benedict and Paine for the final two spots in the East Division.

CAU took a big step towards postseason play this past weekend when then swept three games from Atlanta University Center-rival Morehouse College to push their record to 7-12 in conference play, 14-22 overall.  The Panthers have won four of their last six games.

"It's huge. It's very huge," said CAU head coach Kentaus "KC" Carter. "It keeps us in the hunt in trying to secure a playoff spot.  We still have one series to go.  But it's just take one game at a time, with the ultimate goal to get into the tournament."

Friday, the Panthers played the first game of their three-series with Morehouse in Greenville, S.C., where the Boston Red Sox-minor affiliate Greenville Drive hosted the HBCU Classic.  The game honored the memory of baseball legend Jackie Robinson. 

CAU's Demoni Brantley had two hits and three RBIs while Calvin Butler drove in three runs and scored three runs as the Panthers took that game 15-5.  The Panthers scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning to put the game out of reach early.  Shahir Gates got the complete-game win on the mound for CAU.

Saturday, the series culminated with a doubleheader at Bill Evans Field in College Park, Ga.  It was also Senior Day as five CAU seniors – Raphael Andrades, Arias Smith, Gates, Jamari Randles, and Devin Franklin – played their final home games for CAU.

CAU got three runs in the fifth inning and then held off Morehouse to win the first game 3-2.  Antonio Watts drove in two runs and scored another in that fifth inning, while Randles had a single and a double. Butler pitched 6 1/3 innings and scattered four hits to get the win.

In the final game, the Panthers had a six-run, sixth inning to grab a come-from-behind 9-7 win over Morehouse. Gates had three hits and two RBIs, while Andrades hit a two-run homer.   Anthony Nettles struck out five to get the win.

"This was big for us," Nettles said. "We're trying to fight back. We've had our backs to the wall in getting into the playoffs.  So, this is very emotional, but we've got to stay composed.  This is our rival, the team to beat, so we had to come out and win."

Carter said Nettles has been his go-to guy on the mound when the Panthers need a win.  But he pointed to his five seniors as big in the team's success so far.

"They've been huge," he said. "Just the leadership on the field, the leadership off the field, the passion they play with, and their holding each other accountable. It just feeds down to the rest of the team. I'm at a loss of words about how big they are for this team."

The Panthers are back in action Wednesday, April 25 when they visit Georgia College in an out-of-conference game.  They close out the regular season next weekend in Jackson, Tenn., with three games against Lane College.