Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
The 2023 baseball season came to close for the Grambling State University baseball team Saturday afternoon, as the Tigers fell to Bethune-Cookman 14-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament.
The Tigers held a 2-0 lead, but 14 unanswered runs by the Wildcats was too much to overcome.
Bethune-Cookman (33-26) outhit Grambling State 15-5. Trevor Hatton accounted for two of GSU’s hits, going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Kyle Walker and Cameron Bufford also drove in runs for the Tigers, each notching an RBI.
In the first inning, Walker registered GSU’s first hit of the game with a one-out double off the left field wall. Later in the inning, Bufford drew a walk with two outs to put two runners on base. Hatton cleared the bases with an RBI triple that careened off of the right field padding, giving GSU a 2-0 lead.
However, the lead was short lived as the Bethune-Cookman rallied for six runs in the top of the second, snagging a 6-2 lead. The Wildcats continued to pour on runs, pushing their way to 14-2 lead in the fourth inning.
GSU added two runs in the seventh inning.
Lorenzo Petersen (6-3) got the start on the mound for the Tigers, but struggled to find a rhythm. He surrendered six runs on five hits with a pair of walks and one strikeout.
Kendrick Bershell, Miguel Baez, Jacorey Boudreaux, Brett Washington and Ethan Bates all made relief appearances for GSU.
BCU’s Santiago Gomez (2-3) earned the win, going 5.0 innings, allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Grambling State finishes the 2023 season with an overall record of 29-26.
