Knights take series from west division top seed Wiley
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
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0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | X | 9 | 9 | 0 |
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Series Recap · March 28–29, 2026 · HBCUAC Baseball KNIGHTS TAKE THE SERIES SUNO wins two of three against Wiley University at Wesley Barrow Stadium |
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SUNO KNIGHTS 12-11 Overall 7-7 HBCUAC |
2 — 1 KNIGHTS WIN SERIES |
WILEY WILDCATS 15-14 Overall 9-5 HBCUAC |
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GAME 1 (3/28): WILEY 4, SUNO 3 |
GAME 2 (3/28): SUNO 2, WILEY 1 |
GAME 3 (3/29): SUNO 9, WILEY 5 |
VENUE: Wesley Barrow Stadium · New Orleans, LA DATES: March 28–29, 2026
The SUNO Knights split a Saturday doubleheader with Wiley University on March 28 before coming back Sunday to claim the decisive third game and win the series 2-1. Wiley took the first game of the doubleheader 4-3 in a tight contest decided in the seventh inning, but SUNO answered in the nightcap with a brilliant two-hit shutout performance from Dylan Jimenez — winning 2-1 to level the series heading into Sunday. On March 29, the Knights made their case emphatically, as Enrique Herazo Jr. earned the win on the mound and a balanced SUNO offense produced nine runs on nine hits in a 9-5 series-clinching victory. The Knights improve to 12-11 overall and 7-7 in the HBCUAC.
Avery Spriggs was the offensive catalyst of the series, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI in the Sunday finale. Dylan Jimenez was masterful in Game 2 of the doubleheader, striking out 10 batters in six innings while walking none, and Chandler Guillory and Danny Aleaga Fonseca each drove in the Knights' two runs with RBI doubles. On Sunday, Darion Wallace tripled and scored, Christian Soto delivered two sacrifice RBIs, and Kyler Shepherd contributed an RBI groundout in a dominant team effort that closed out the Wildcats.
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GAME 1 · MARCH 28, 2026 · WILEY 4, SUNO 3 |
The Wildcats drew first blood in the series opener, rallying for three runs in the seventh inning to overcome a 2-1 SUNO lead and steal the game 4-3. SUNO starter Christopher Nunez pitched well for 6.1 innings, allowing only four hits, but Wiley loaded the bases in the seventh and turned four walks and a hit batsman into a decisive three-run outburst. SUNO had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning — scoring on a Christian Soto walk and a Miles Bowens walk with the bases loaded — and Wiley cut it to 2-1 in the third on an Amir Mason RBI double. SUNO's third-inning run came on a Herazo Jr. error. The Knights carried a 3-1 lead into the seventh but Wiley's Kaleb Gilner walked home a run and Amir Mason's two-RBI single plated two more to deliver the 4-3 final. SUNO's lone hit in the game was a Kyler Shepherd single in the second.
LINE SCORE — GAME 1
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Wiley (TX) |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
|
SUNO Knights |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
KEY MOMENTS
|
1st Inn. |
SUNO STRIKES FIRST — TWO RUNS ON WALKS SUNO drew first blood without a hit. Kyler Shepherd walked, Jhemmal Geraldo was hit by pitch, and Dylan Jimenez reached on a Herazo Jr. error to load the bases. Christian Soto walked to score Shepherd (1-0), and Miles Bowens walked to score Geraldo (2-0). The Knights had a 2-0 lead before SUNO recorded a single hit. |
|
3rd Inn. |
MASON DOUBLES — WILEY ON THE BOARD Wiley cut the lead to 2-1 in the third when Kaleb Gilner walked and Amir Mason doubled to score him. The Knights' advantage was halved, and SUNO's starter Nick Rodriguez — who walked four over three innings — was replaced by Juan Pena to stem the bleeding. |
|
5th Inn. |
SUNO EXTENDS TO 3-1 — UNEARNED In the fifth, Darion Wallace walked and scored on a Herazo Jr. error after a fielder's choice by Christian Soto — pushing the SUNO lead to 3-1. Juan Pena came on and held Wiley scoreless for four innings, but the damage from the first was not enough to protect the lead. |
|
7th Inn. |
WILEY RALLIES — MASON DELIVERS TWO-RBI SINGLE The game turned in the seventh. Wiley loaded the bases on a walk to Ajari Camp, a Jaziel Martinez single, and an HBP to Deekota Johnson. Kaleb Gilner walked to bring in the first run (3-2). Then Amir Mason singled and advanced on the throw, scoring two more runners (4-3) to complete the comeback. SUNO went quietly in the bottom of the seventh to end it. |
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GAME 2 · MARCH 28, 2026 · SUNO 2, WILEY 1 |
SUNO responded in the nightcap with a gem of a performance. Dylan Jimenez was untouchable, pitching six innings while allowing just four hits, one earned run, zero walks, and striking out 10 batters on 92 pitches. Mikel Black came on in the seventh and retired all three Wiley batters to slam the door. The Knights manufactured their two runs with timely doubles: Danny Aleaga Fonseca doubled to left center in the fourth to score Jhemmal Geraldo (who had singled and stolen second), and Chandler Guillory doubled to center in the sixth to score Christian Soto. Wiley's only run came on an Ajari Camp solo home run to right field in the fifth — the lone extra-base hit the Wildcats could muster against Jimenez all afternoon.
LINE SCORE — GAME 2
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Wiley (TX) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
|
SUNO Knights |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
X |
2 |
4 |
1 |
KEY MOMENTS
|
4th Inn. |
ALEAGA FONSECA BREAKS THE DEADLOCK SUNO drew first blood in the fourth. Jhemmal Geraldo singled and stole second with two outs. Danny Aleaga Fonseca then laced a two-strike double to left center, scoring Geraldo and giving the Knights the 1-0 lead. It was the kind of clutch, situational hit that Jimenez's dominant outing deserved. |
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5th Inn. |
CAMP HOMERS — WILDCATS EVEN IT Ajari Camp connected on a 1-2 pitch and drove it over the right-field fence for a solo home run, knotting the score at 1-1. It was the only run Jimenez surrendered in six innings — a testament to how locked in he was. Wiley managed just three other hits the entire game against him. |
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6th Inn. |
GUILLORY'S DOUBLE IS THE DIFFERENCE Christian Soto led off the sixth with a single to left. Chandler Guillory followed with a clutch double to center, scoring Soto to put SUNO back in front 2-1. That would be all the cushion Jimenez and Black needed. The right-hander retired the next two batters and Black shut the door in the seventh. |
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Full Game |
JIMENEZ DOMINATES — 10 STRIKEOUTS, 0 WALKS Dylan Jimenez was exceptional in the series-evening performance, fanning 10 of the 24 batters he faced while not issuing a single free pass. His 59-pitch efficiency through six innings — combined with Mikel Black's clean seventh — gave SUNO exactly the momentum it needed heading into the series decider on Sunday. |
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GAME 3 · MARCH 29, 2026 · SUNO 9, WILEY 5 | SERIES CLINCHER |
The Knights made it count on Sunday. SUNO's offense erupted for nine runs on nine hits across nine different contributions, while Enrique Herazo Jr., Braylon Guerin, and Mikel Black combined to limit Wiley and secure the 9-5 series-clinching victory. Avery Spriggs was the offensive engine, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, and a stolen base. Darion Wallace tripled and scored twice, Christian Soto delivered two sacrifice RBIs, and Kyler Shepherd chipped in an RBI groundout. Wiley kept fighting — finishing with 13 hits and scoring five — but SUNO seized the lead in the second inning and never gave it back. Herazo Jr. (W, 1-2) picked up the win with four innings of work before handing it to Guerin, who threw four more strong innings.
LINE SCORE — GAME 3 (SERIES CLINCHER)
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
|
Wiley (TX) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
13 |
2 |
|
SUNO Knights |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
X |
9 |
9 |
0 |
KEY MOMENTS
|
2nd Inn. |
SPRIGGS AND WALLACE FLIP THE GAME Wiley had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on a Trey Clark RBI single. SUNO answered with authority in the second. Avery Spriggs singled to left field, and Darion Wallace tripled down the right-field line to score her (1-1). Kyler Shepherd then reached on a throwing error by Estevan Baca — Darion Wallace scored the unearned run — and SUNO led 2-1 and never trailed again. |
|
4th Inn. |
SUNO EXTENDS — WALLACE SCORES AGAIN In the fourth, Avery Spriggs singled, and Wallace tripled again to score her (2-3 SUNO). Kyler Shepherd reached on a Mason error and Wallace scored the unearned run — pushing the lead to 4-2. Christian Soto's productive outs continued to drive SUNO's half-innings. |
|
6th Inn. |
SOTO AND JIMENEZ SACRIFICE SUNO TO 6-2 SUNO built further cushion in the sixth. After a Spriggs single and a wild pitch advanced her to third, Christian Soto singled home Spriggs (5-2). With runners on, Dylan Jimenez executed a sacrifice fly to score Kyler Shepherd (6-2). Two productive outs. Two more runs. That is championship-caliber situational baseball. |
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7th Inn. |
THREE-RUN SEVENTH CLINCHES IT SUNO put the game out of reach with a three-run seventh. Danny Aleaga Fonseca singled to center, Miles Bowens walked, and Avery Spriggs singled to left to score Aleaga Fonseca (7-2). Kyler Shepherd grounded out for an RBI (8-2), and Christian Soto's sacrifice fly to left scored Spriggs for the third run of the inning (9-2). Wiley rallied for three in the eighth and one in the ninth, but the deficit was insurmountable. |
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IN THE DUGOUT — COACH OLEN PARKER |
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"Dropping Game 1 is never easy, but I thought our guys showed tremendous resilience. Jimenez came back out there in the nightcap and was as good as I've seen him — ten strikeouts, no walks. That's the response you want from a staff ace." — Olen Parker, Jr. · Head Coach, SUNO Baseball |
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"Sunday was a complete team effort. Avery Spriggs was special — 3-for-4, three runs, never made an out that hurt us. Darion Wallace tripling twice, Christian Soto executing with two sacrifice RBIs — that's baseball IQ. That's what we've been building all year." — Olen Parker, Jr. · Head Coach, SUNO Baseball |
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"Herazo going out and giving us four innings in the series clincher, Braylon Guerin following with four more — that's the depth we need. When the whole staff is engaged and the offense is producing like that, we're a very difficult team to beat." — Olen Parker, Jr. · Head Coach, SUNO Baseball |
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"We gave away too many free passes in Game 1 and it cost us. Can't do that against quality competition. But the way we responded in Game 2, and then came back Sunday and controlled the game from the second inning on — that's the identity we want. We don't fold." — Olen Parker, Jr. · Head Coach, SUNO Baseball |
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TOP PERFORMERS |
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SUNO KNIGHTS |
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WILEY WILDCATS |
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AVERY SPRIGGS C · Game 3 (Sunday) 3-for-4, 3 R, RBI, SB — led SUNO's series-clinching offensive charge |
AMIR MASON SS · Games 1 & 3 G1: 2 RBI, 2B | G3: 2-for-5 — carried Wiley's offense across the series |
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DYLAN JIMENEZ P · Game 2 (W, 3-1) 6.0 IP · 4 H · 1 ER · 0 BB · 10 K — series-evening gem in the nightcap |
AJARI CAMP RF/LF · Game 2 1-for-2, HR, RBI — solo home run was Wiley's only run in Game 2 |
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DARION WALLACE 2B · Game 3 (Sunday) 1-for-2, 3B, 2 R, RBI, BB — back-to-back triples ignited SUNO's offense |
ESTEVAN BACA P · Game 3 (L, 4-1) 5.1 IP · 7 H · 6 R (3 ER) — SUNO's offense took advantage of command issues |
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CHANDLER GUILLORY RF · Game 2 1-for-3, 2B, RBI — clutch sixth-inning double put SUNO ahead for good |
TREY CLARK 3B · Game 3 1-for-5, RBI — drove in Wiley's first run with a first-inning single |
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CHRISTIAN SOTO 3B · Games 2 & 3 G2: 1 R, scored winning run | G3: 2 SAC RBI — situational hitting all series |
JAZIEL MARTINEZ C · Game 3 3-for-4, RBI — one of the bright spots in Wiley's 13-hit Sunday effort |
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SERIES PITCHING SUMMARY |
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SUNO PITCHER |
IP |
ER |
K / BB / Decision |
|
Christopher Nunez (G1) |
6.1 |
4 |
6 K / 4 BB L (2-3) |
|
Luis Landeros (G1) |
0.0 |
0 |
0 K / 2 BB |
|
Jackson Frazier (G1) |
0.2 |
0 |
0 K / 0 BB |
|
Dylan Jimenez (G2) |
6.0 |
1 |
10 K / 0 BB W (3-1) |
|
Mikel Black (G2) |
1.0 |
0 |
2 K / 0 BB Save |
|
Enrique Herazo Jr. (G3) |
4.0 |
2 |
4 K / 1 BB W (1-2) |
|
Braylon Guerin (G3) |
4.0 |
2 |
1 K / 0 BB |
|
Mikel Black (G3) |
1.0 |
1 |
2 K / 0 BB |
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WILEY PITCHER |
IP |
ER |
K / BB / Decision |
|
Nick Rodriguez (G1) |
3.0 |
2 |
1 K / 4 BB |
|
Juan Pena (G1) |
4.0 |
0 |
4 K / 2 BB W (1-0) |
|
Ethan Jones (G2) |
6.0 |
2 |
5 K / 1 BB L (4-5) |
|
Estevan Baca (G3) |
5.1 |
3 |
0 K / 2 BB L (4-1) |
|
Kadin Resendez (G3) |
0.2 |
3 |
0 K / 2 BB |
|
Reyli Escobedo (G3) |
2.0 |
0 |
1 K / 1 BB |
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LOOKING AHEAD |
The Knights emerge from a competitive series win with real confidence. After dropping a tough Game 1 on Saturday, SUNO's ability to respond in the nightcap — and then come back Sunday and take the series decisively — speaks to the character of this team. SUNO now stands at 12-11 overall and 7-7 in HBCUAC play. Dylan Jimenez (3-1) has become the staff ace and is pitching his best baseball. Avery Spriggs is emerging as a force at the plate. And with Christian Soto consistently delivering in situational spots, the Knights have the pieces to compete at the highest level in the conference. The West Division race remains within reach. SUNO is playing the right way at the right time.
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SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT NEW ORLEANS KNIGHTS BASEBALL · HBCUAC WEST DIVISION 12-11 OVERALL · 7-7 CONFERENCE |