Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
Thursday afternoon was a cause for celebration for the Grambling State University baseball team as the Tigers claimed it’s first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) West Division title since 2017 with a 6-3 triumph over Prairie View A&M at Tankersly Field.
GSU (26-23 overall, 21-6 SWAC) got a strong outing from starting pitcher Lorenzo Petersen. Petersen worked eight innings and racked up seven strikeouts. He allowed just three runs on eight hits and issued no walks.
The Tigers never trailed in the contest, opening up a 5-0 lead through the first four and a half innings. Tiger Borom began the scoring with an RBI single, scoring Jose Vargas, who reached on a leadoff single, to make it 1-0 in the top of the first.
Trevor Hatton kicked started the GSU half of the third inning with a single. Keylon Mack brought him around to score with an RBI double to right field. Cameron Bufford moved Mack over to third base with a single. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Keanu Jacobs-Guishard plated the third run of the afternoon for the Tigers, extending the lead to 3-0.
In the fourth, Borom smacked a leadoff double to right field. Two batters later, Hatton smoked a home run over the left field wall, making it 5-0 Tigers.
Prairie View A&M (18-33, 14-13 SWAC) trimmed GSU’s lead down to two runs, 5-3, in the bottom of the sixth.
Grambling State scored its final run of the game in the seventh when Terry Burrell III drew a bases loaded walk.
Ethan Bates entered the game in the ninth inning and shut the door on the Panthers, getting a quick 1-2-3 inning to notch his fourth save of the year.
Grambling State had five players notch multi-hit games. Borom went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI, Kyle Walker went 3-for-5, Hatton was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run, Mack went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI and Jose Vargas went 2-for-5.
Grambling State continues its series at PVAMU on Friday afternoon. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.
