OZARK, Ala. – Stillman College scored a single run in each of the first three innings and held on to defeat the Benedict College Tigers 3-2 in the opening round of the 2012 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Thursday afternoon at Eagle Field.

In a tight pitching duel, Stillman's Josh Cagle (7-4) beat out Benedict's John Walton (5-5). Cagle scattered eight hits, struck out seven and walked one. Walton allowed eight hits, struck out four and walked two, as well as taking a pair of line drive shots off his body.

With the loss, Benedict falls to 20-16 overall. The Tigers drop to the loser's bracket and will face the loser between Thursday night's contest between Kentucky State and Paine. That elimination game will be Friday at noon. Stillman, 25-16, will face the winner between Kentucky State and Paine at 6 p.m.

Benedict opened the game with a run in the first inning. With two outs, Lashante Grimes singled up the middle and stole second base. Lydell Moseby ripped a single into left field to score Grimes from second.

Stillman tied the game in the bottom of the first. Jarius Brown, the SIAC Player of the Year, reached on a fielder's choice, moved to second on a wild pitch, and game home on a two-out single by Paul Winterbottom.

Stillman took the lead in the second inning when Kameron McCreless singled and Logan Hunter followed with a double into left-center field to score McCreless.

The Stillman Tigers increased the lead to 3-1 in the third inning as Brown led off the inning with a hard-hit ball deep to the shortstop. He stole second, and advanced to third when Benedict catcher's throw on the steal attempt sailed past the target. Winterbottom brought him home on a groundout play.

Walton held Stillman in check the rest of the way, giving up just three hits over the final five innings. Two of those hits were off the body of Walton, as he was drilled by a pair of line-drives, taking a shot to his lower leg in the fourth and another shot to his pitching arm in the fifth.

The Benedict Tigers cut the lead in the seventh. Christopher Moye and Elisha McDaniel hit back-to-back singles. Then, with two outs, Christopher Lail ripped a two-out shot into right field to score Moye.

Moseby led off the ninth inning with a single to center field, but the Tigers hit back-to-back popups and a groundout to end the game.