Jackson, MS - - Red hot Texas Southern University and perennial power Jackson State University are both just two wins away from claiming the 2000 Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball championship, which is being contested here at Smith-Wills Stadium through Sunday.

The TSU Tigers, 21-31, upset four-time defending champion Southern University in the first game of the second round on Friday. The JSU Tigers, 24-25, defeated the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 12-3 Friday. The two winners will face each other in a 12 noon winners' bracket game today.

Top seed and tournament favorite Southern University quickly dropped into the losers' bracket after falling to Texas Southern University, 7-2, on Friday.

TSU, 21-31, entered the tournament as the No.3 seed from the Western Division but in two games has played like it's the tourney favorite. The Tigers outhit the Jaguars 13-to-5 en route to earning the right to play host Jackson State University in today's winners' bracket game at 12 noon.

Head coach Roger Cador of Southern said aggressiveness was the difference.

"They (TSU Tigers) were aggressive and teams who are aggressive are going to enjoy much success," stated Cador. "You have to give them credit. We were not aggressive and we struggled."

Knotted at 1-1, the Tigers scored four unanswered runs over the next two innings to go ahead 5-1. The go-ahead run for TSU was scored by first baseman Jason Roy in the top of the fourth off an error by SU shortstop Melvin Anderson. Roy had earlier reached base on a walk. The Tigers went on to add runs in the top of the seventh and eighth while SU scored its other run in the bottom of the final inning.

Third baseman Melvin Matthews went three-for-five for the Tigers with two runs batted in. Marcus Winder picked up the complete game victory, upping his season record to 6-1 while Eric Thomas went the distance in his first losing effort of the season, falling to 6-1.