NORTHPORT, AL – The Wilberforce University baseball team saw its deepest run in the conference tournament come to an end just one game shy of the 2026 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Baseball Championship. After extending its stay with a strong opening performance, the Bulldogs ultimately fell to West Division Champion Huston-Tillotson on Monday at River Run Park.

GAME ONE: #E3 WILBERFORCE 9, #E2 STILLMAN 6

Freshman Jalen Payne delivered a gritty performance on the mound, leading Wilberforce to a 9-6 victory over Stillman and moving the Bulldogs one step closer to the championship game.

Just one day after throwing 43 pitches over three innings, Payne returned to the bump and logged an impressive 143 pitches. The southpaw scattered 11 hits across seven innings, allowing six runs (three earned) while recording the second complete game of his career.

At the plate, Darius Woodson paced the offense, finishing a home run shy of the cycle with a perfect 4-for-4 day that included a double, triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. Joe Mendy added a 3-for-4 performance with three RBIs, including a pivotal insurance run in the eighth inning.

Wilberforce broke the game open in the eighth. After a one-out single by Beau Spears and a double from Woodson, Stillman intentionally walked Christopher Alcantara-Diaz to load the bases. The decision backfired, as Mendy and Junior Veras-Vasquez delivered back-to-back RBI singles. Thomas Hampton capped the three-run inning with a sacrifice fly.

Those insurance runs proved critical, as Stillman plated two runs in the ninth inning to tighten the final margin.

GAME TWO: #W1 HUSTON-TILLOTSON 4, #E3 WILBERFORCE 3

Huston-Tillotson used a two-run sixth inning to edge Wilberforce, 4-3, ending the Bulldogs' tournament run and season.

Keith Smith Jr. accounted for Wilberforce's first run in the third inning, reaching on a hit-by-pitch, stealing second, advancing to third on a failed pickoff attempt, and scoring on a wild pitch.

In the fourth, Junior Veras-Vasquez singled to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a Daunte Ward base hit, and scored on a throwing error to give Wilberforce an early advantage. However, that would mark the Bulldogs' final run of the game.

Huston-Tillotson responded with a run in the fourth, tied the game in the fifth, and took the lead for good with two runs in the sixth.

Craig Smith Jr. (2-2) took the loss despite a solid outing, allowing three runs (two earned) over 5.2 innings on just three hits. Control issues proved costly, as he issued seven walks and hit three batters.

Wilberforce concludes the season at 22-21, capping its most successful campaign since the program's return four years ago following an 80-year hiatus. The Bulldogs surpassed the 20-win mark and were highlighted by major conference honors, including HBCUAC Most Valuable Player, Hitter of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and three First Team All-HBCUAC selections.