By T. Scott Boatright
The results were mixed on the diamonds for Grambling State over the weekend, with the Lady Tigers winning their regular season softball finale and the baseball team being swept in a three-game home series by Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
SOFTBALL: The Lady Tigers overcame an early 3-0 deficit before roaring back to earn a 6-4 victory over Texas Southern on Sunday at the GSU Softball Complex.
GSU’s Anaiya Fultz’s sacrifice fly in the third inning brought home Tyra Triplett before a throwing error allowed India Wells (who also scored Grambling’s opening run in the first) to even the score at 3-3.
The Lady Tigers (13-16 overall, 10-8 SWAC) moved on top in the fourth inning on a double steal when Asli Strozier swiped second opening up the door for Morgan Adams to score on a throwing error by TSU’s catcher.
Wells and Cameron Ellis later added insurance runs for the Lady Tigers.
GSU pitcher Ja’Lynn Bonner spread out eight hits and three earned runs with one strikeout in 3.0 innings of work before Janecia King (1-0) came in and allowed only four hits and one earned run with a strikeout in 3.0 innings on the mound to earn her first win over the season.
Taylor Polk was credited with the save for Grambling as she gave up three hits but no runs in her lone inning in the circle.
GSU’s Lady Tigers now turn their attention to the SWAC Softball Tournament, where they’ll open play at 9 a.m. Tuesday against Alabama State in Gulfport, Mississippi.
BASEBALL: The Tigers saw their first-place standing in the SWAC’s West Division evaporate as they fell in three straight home games to UAPB on Wilbert Ellis Field at RWE Jones Park. UAPB won Friday’s opener 14-6 before winning both games of Saturday’s doubleheader by the scores of 9-8 and 19-8.
Next up for GSU is a midweek doubleheader at Dallas Baptist University starting at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
“This was a tough pill to swallow for our seniors, losing their last home series of their college career,” head coach James Cooper said following Saturday’s game three loss. “We have to put this one behind us and focus on our next opponent which is DBU. Facing someone like DBU should really get us prepared for championship play in the tournament.”
Grambling, which entered the weekend atop the race for the SWAC’s West Division, now stands second behind Prairie View A&M.
Prairie View is 16-16 and 12-7 in the SWAC while Grambling is 15-25 and 12-9. Southern hovers close behind at 15-27 and 13-11 in conference play.
TRACK AND FIELD: Prairie View A&M Men’s track program claimed the 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships at its home venue, winning the team’s first title since 2018.
Grambling’s women finished third with UAPB taking second.
