The Clark Atlanta University Panthers baseball team took two-of-three games over Atlanta University Center rival Morehouse College last weekend. 

It was an important series for CAU (13-27, 6-17 SIAC) as they are battling Morehouse (7-13 SIAC), Lane (6-14 SIAC) and Tuskegee (8-11 SIAC) for the final three spots in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championships that begins on May 5 in Albany, Ga. 

CAU has a three-game series with LeMoyne-Owen College (4-21, 2-14 SIAC) coming up this weekend on Friday and Saturday at Bill Evans Field.  The Panthers then have one final SIAC matchup to end the regular season ends when they visit Lane April 29th and 30th. 

CAU has been on a roll lately, winning six of their past eight games.  Last Friday they took both ends of a doubleheader against Morehouse. 

In the first game, CAU erased an early 1-0 Morehouse lead when Jerry Freeman singled in a run and Justice Page doubled in two more to give CAU a 3-1 lead after one inning. Morehouse countered with three runs of their own in the top of the second to go back out front 4-3. The third inning saw CAU retake the lead and open up some breathing space.  Eason Bing singled in a run, while Freeman scored on a ground out. Page then singled in a run followed by Khalil Manuel's sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Gaskin.  Then Freeman stole home to end the scoring that inning and giving CAU an 8-4 lead. 

The score was 10-6 heading into the seventh when Morehouse rallied for three runs to close to within one at 10-9.   Daniel Gay homered in the bottom of the seventh for CAU to add to the Panthers lead.  Page then shut down the Panthers the offense as CAU took the win. 

Freeman was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a three runs scored. Gaskin had two hits and scored twice, while Page was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.  On the mound, Asa Waites earned the win while Page picked up the save. CAU pitching only allowed six Morehouse hits and struck out nine batters. 

Morehouse was led by Amyr Smith who had two hits, scored two runs and stole a base. Jalyn Hawkins had a hit, three RBIs and scored twice.  Casey Coates took the loss on the mound. 

In the second game, CAU jumped ahead early when Arthur Burrell doubled in a run and Freeman hit a three-run homer to put CAU up 4-0 in the first inning. CAU added two runs in the second and four more in the third to build an insurmountable lead for the doubleheader sweep, taking the second game 12-5. 

Gaskin was 2-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored.  Freeman's home run was his third in the last seven games. Burrell, Jalen Mason and Dorian Andrews each scored twice for CAU.  In six ininngs, Lorenzo Petersen struck out eight and gave up just nine hits in earning the win.  Petersen has struck out 67 hitters this season.

Morehouse was led by Jaiden Proper who was 3-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Darren Avent, Daylun Powe-Salters and Miles Grayson each had two hits for Morehouse. Jordan Sterling tookt he loss for Morehouse. 

The two teams played the final game of the series on Saturday in a game that Morehouse's Jamie Lawrence hold CAU to just five hits over the first five innings.  He also struck out eight CAU hitters Alan Brown's three-run homer and three RBIs by Hawkins led Morehouse to a 12-5 victory.  

Page managed two hits and two RBIs for CAU while Burrell had two hits and a run scored. Gaskin took the loss on the mound. 

CAU now gets ready for Friday's big doubleheader with LeMoyne-Owen College that begins at 2 p.m. at Bill Evans Field in College Park, Ga.  The two teams play a single game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.