The Grambling State University baseball team saw its offense in high gear on Saturday, scoring 12 runs and collecting 16 hits in a 12-8 victory over Texas Southern to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series at MacGregor Park.
Grambling State (15-20 overall, 10-5 SWAC) had three players – Terry Burrell III, Jarficur Parker and Keylon Mack – collect three hits each. GSU trailed 8-7 after four innings, but scored the final five runs to pick up its second consecutive victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
– Grambling State opened the game with three runs on four hits, capped by Julian Murphy two RBI triple, to give GSU a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning
– Texas Southern closed the gap to 3-1 with a run in the bottom of the frame
– GSU continued its offensive onslaught in the top of the second with three more runs
– Daylon Ardoin reached on a one-out base hit to eft and moved to third on a Terry Burrell III double to right field
– Jarficur Parker followed with a double to left, scoring Ardoin and Burrell
– Parker came in to score when Trevor Hatton reached on an error as Grambling State extended the lead to 6-1
– Texas Southern (16-17, 7-8) continued to play from behind, scoring four runs on four hits and took advantage of an error to cut the GSU lead to 6-5 in the third inning
– Grambling State added a run in the fourth inning as Burrell opened the frame with a walk and scored a Shemar Page single to right field
– TSU took its first lead of the game, 8-7, with three runs on three hits in the bottom half of the frame
– GSU answered with two runs in the fifth to grab a 9-8 advantage
– Cameron Bufford led off the inning with a walk and moved to third on a Keylon Mack single to center
– With one down, Bufford scored on a Burrell ground out and Mack came across on a Parker base hit to center.
– Grambling State added to the lead with two more runs in the sixth inning
– Hatton opened the frame with a base hit to center, stole second and advanced to third on an error
– John Garcia tripled to center as Hatton scored from third
– Murphy brought Garcia home on a sacrifice fly to right as GSU increased the lead to 11-8
– Grambling State added an insurance run in the ninth as Mack doubled to left and came in to score on an RBI single to left center by Burrell to give GSU a 12-8 advantage
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
– Grambling State scored 12 runs on 16 hits, with two errors, and left nine on base
– Texas Southern finished with eight runs on 12 hits, recorded a pair of errors and stranded 12 on base
– Jarficur Parker led Grambling State at the plate by going 3-for-4, with four RBI and two runs scored
– Terry Burrell III went 3-for-5, with three runs scored and a pair of RBI
– Keylon Mack was 3-for-5, with one run scored
– Trevor Hatton and John Garcia combined for four hits, three runs scored and two RBI
– Julian Murphy Shemar Page and Daylon Ardoin each collected one hit
– Connor Rudy started on the mound for Grambling State as he surrendered eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits, with two strikeouts and one walk in 3.2 innings
– Corbin Peters, Emir Garrett, Santiago Hungaria III, Heath Backhus and J.C. Bonilla worked in relief
– Peters (1-2) picked up the win in relief by pitching 1.1 innings, with three strikeouts
– Lane Gordon earned the start for Texas Southern and lasted two innings as he was tagged with six runs (five earned) on seven hits, with two strikeouts
– George Osbourne and Adolf Castillo worked in relief.