Staff writer
The good news: Grambling’s softball team has returned to competition after a pause due to COVID-19 issues within the squad.
Unfortunately, some competitive rust doubtlessly contributed to dropping a homefield Southwestern Athletic Conference series against Southern, with the visitors taking the first two games.
Southern won a single game 5-2 Monday afternoon. Tuesday, the Lady Jaguars took advantage of five Grambling errors in a 6-4 victory that was the opening contest in a doubleheader. Grambling averted a sweep with a nine-inning 4-3 triumph in the getaway game, cracking 14 hits.
Saddled with virus problems, mostly contact tracing, entering April, the Lady Tigers (7-10, 4-4) cancelled three non-conference games and delayed the Southern series from Friday-Saturday to Monday-Tuesday.
They were competitive but a Southern team (6-18, 5-4) that had struggled found success in the first two games of the series.
Monday, Southern scored a pair in the top of the seventh to pad a one-run edge. The Lady Tigers roared out of their time off, scoring on an SU error in the first inning and a base hit by Kayla Robinson in the second frame. But that was it, as Southern moved ahead in the third inning on a two-run triple and kept Grambling off the board.
In Tuesday’s first game, the Lady Jags posted two unearned game-winning runs in the top of the seventh.
The series-ender went extra innings and was a walk-off for Grambling. Tytianna Robinson’s infield single with one out plated the winning run and capped a GSU rally from a 3-0 deficit in the third inning.
Nyah Jones drove in two Grambling runs with a fifth-inning double, knotting the contest until the bottom of the ninth.
The Lady Tigers host another SWAC series when Texas Southern visits Friday at 3 and Saturday for a noon twinbill.
BASEBALL: Forecasts for heavy rains and severe storms Tuesday afternoon and evening in Baton Rouge forced postponement of Grambling’s visit to LSU. The game may be rescheduled later this season.
Grambling, with wins in 11 of its last 15 games, goes to Alabama State for a SWAC series beginning Friday.