By T. Scott Boatright
GULFPORT, Miss. — After waiting eight hours to start the game due to a weather delay, the Grambling State Lady Tigers likely couldn’t wait for their opening round Southwestern Athletic Conference Softball Tournament game at the Gulfport Sportsplex to end.
Following that delay which saw the game start at 5 p.m. Tuesday as opposed to its original start time of 9 a.m., the Lady Tigers never got going, falling 11-0 in five innings to Alabama State.
The Lady Tigers fell 11-0 in five innings to Alabama State in the opening round of the 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Softball Tournament at the Gulfport Sportsplex. The original 9 a.m. start was delayed due to rainy weather and pushed back to 5 p.m.
GSU recorded only singles on the day — one from India Wells and the other from Cameron Ellis.
The Lady Hornets pulled away with an eight-run third inning, including a grand slam to close the door on the Lady Tigers.
GSU pitcher and All-SWAC Second-Team Pitcher Payton Shells (6-5) was charged with the loss after allowing 12 hits while striking out one Lady Hornet batter.
Grambling moves on to the Loser’s Bracket and an elimination game that was originally slated to start at 9 a.m. today, but that initially-scheduled time is likely to change due to Tuesday’s weather delay which pushed all the tournament’s first-round games back from the morning to the afternoon
BASEBALL: The doubleheader Grambling State’s baseball team was slated to play at Dallas Baptist on Tuesday was canceled due to the rains that soaked northeast Texas on Monday and Tuesday.
Grambling (15-25, 12-9 SWAC) now shifts its focus to the SWAC Baseball Tournament, which will begin on May 19 at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama.
