GRAMBLING, La. | Richard Ortiz belted three home runs as the Grambling State University baseball team won its home opener, 15-5, over Wiley College and held off a late charge in the second game, 6-5, to sweep the doubleheader at Wilbert Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park on Tuesday.
 
In the opener, Grambling State (3-2) picked up a pair of runs in the first inning and extended the lead to 5-0 after a run in the third and two in the fourth. The Wildcats (5-7) fought back and cut the deficit to 5-3 with three runs in the top half of the fifth, but the Tigers answered with one in the bottom half to take a 6-3 advantage into the sixth. Grambling State scored nine runs over the final three innings and won the game in eight innings.
 
Ortiz was red hot in the first game, going 4-for-4 at the plate, including three home runs. He scored four times and drove in a team-high five runs. D'Quan Matthews also got into the act with the long ball as he belted his first homer of the season.
 
Grambling State finished with 21 hits in 42 at-bats and also picked up extra base hits by Matthews and Isaiah Torres.
 
In the night cap, it was a pitchers' duel through the first two innings, but Grambling State broke free for two runs in the third and three in the fourth to grab a 5-0 advantage. Wiley answered with two runs in the top of the fifth, only to have the Tigers plate one run in the bottom of the frame. Trailing 6-2 into the latter innings, the Wildcats mounted a comeback and cut the deficit to 6-5 with one run in the sixth and two in the top of the seventh. Wiley had a runner on second with two outs, but Tigers' relief pitcher Andy Escano got the final out on a strikeout to seal the victory.
 
Inside The Numbers
* In the opener, Grambling State finished with 15 runs on 21 hits and left eight on base.
* Marshawn Taylor and Richard Ortiz both had four hits.
* D'Quan Matthews, Trevin Bolden, Isaiah Torres, Kristian Franklin and Chris Perez had two hits apiece.
* Richard Ortiz went 4-for-4 and drove in five RBIs.
* Nick Wheeler, Drexel Macaay and Chris Campbell had one hit a piece.
* Kerry Boykins, Jr. (1-1) picked up the win in five innings of work. He gave up two runs on four hits, with one strikeout.
* Daniel Beizer pitched one inning in relief, while Andy Escano earned his first save.
* Nick Wheeler, Drexel Macaay and Chris Campbell had one hit a piece.
* Ryan Evans (1-0) was outstanding on the mound for the Tigers in seven innings. He gave up three runs on three hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.
* Daniel Wilson worked one inning in relief.
* Joe Champion took the loss as he surrendered five runs (two earned) on five hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
* Markus Garza, Christian Netro and Demetrice Rudolph worked in relief.
* Tyler Baumann went 2-for-4, with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Wildcat offense.
* In Game 2, Grambling State finished with six runs, 10 hits and six RBIs.
* D'Quan Matthews had three hits to pace the Tiger offense.
* Marshawn Taylor and Drexler Macaay had two hits each.
* Rafael Ramirez III and Isaiah Torres each had one hit.
* Kerry Boykins, Jr. (1-1) picked up the win in five innings of work. He gave up two runs on four hits, with one strikeout.
* Daniel Beizer pitched one inning in relief, while Andy Escano earned his first save.
* Austin Rotramel took the loss in three innings on the hill. He gave up two runs on five hits, with a pair of strikeouts.
* Jon Michael Roberson and Brandon Bilnoski pitched in relief.
* Justin Brown paced the Wildcats offense by going 2-for-3, with two runs scored, while Breon Ector drove in two runs in two plate appearances.
 
News & Notes
* Grambling State met Wiley for the second consecutive season as the Tigers improved to 3-0 in their last three meetings with the Wildcats.
* The Tigers have won two straight home openers (2017 and 2018).
* After starting the season 0-2, Grambling State has won its last three games.
* Grambling State is 2-2 in games decided by one run this season.
 
Up Next
Grambling State takes to the road for the next four games as the Tigers travel to Miami, Fla. and will visit Florida International (FIU) for a weekend three-game series starting on Friday. GSU returns home Sunday night and will visit LSU in Baton Rouge, La. on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
 
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