NEW ORLEANS, La. | The Grambling State University baseball team took the road less travelled at the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball Tournament on Saturday at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
 
The Tigers opened the day with a 5-1 loss to Alabama State in a Winner's Bracket final and then fought off elimination with a 5-1 victory over the Hornets, sending the Tigers into the championship game.
 
Grambling State will meet Texas Southern in Sunday's title game, with the game broadcasted live on ESPNEWS and the WatchESPN App. at 2 p.m. Texas Southern, the top seed from the West Division, eliminated Jackson State, the No. 2 East seed, in a thrilling 10-9 victory in 10 innings. Texas Southern will be making its four straight appearance in the championship game and have won two out of the last three titles.
 
GAME 1 (5-1 loss)
In the opener, Alabama State struck first with a run in the bottom of the second to grab an early 1-0 lead.
 
Grambling State answered with one run in the top half of the third as Ace Felder singled to begin the frame. Trevin Bolden advanced Felder a base on a sacrifice bunt and D'Quan Matthews grounded out to second to push the runner to third. Marshawn Taylor singled to right as Felder scored from third, tying the game at 1.
 
The Hornets plated two runs on two hits and took advantage of one error in the bottom of the frame to grab a 3-1 lead.
 
The best opportunity for Grambling State was in the seventh as the Tigers loaded the bases with one out, but Isaiah Torres and Richard Ortiz struck out to end the threat.
 
The Hornets put the game away with a pair of runs in the eighth to pick up the 5-1 win.
 
GAME 2 (5-1 win)
After two scoreless innings in the winner-take-all elimination game, Grambling State finally broke the tie in the third inning.
 
Rafael Ramirez, III reached on a two-out infield hit. Isaiah Torres followed with a two-run shot to left to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Richard Ortiz and Garrett Smith drew back-to-back walks and after a pitching change, Felder singled to plate Ortiz as the Tigers grabbed an early 3-0 lead.
 
The Tigers extended the lead to 4-0 in the sixth when Ramirez belted his team-high 16th homer off the right field foul pole.
 
Alabama State cut the margin to 4-1 with a run in the bottom of the frame, but Grambling State picked up one run in the eighth to take a 5-1 advantage.
 
Matthews opened the top of the eighth with a base hit to right center. He stole second and advanced to third on an error. After an intentional walk to Ramirez, Torres reached on an error by the Hornet left fielder as Matthews scored.
Inside the Numbers
* In the opener, Grambling State scored one run on nine hits, committed one error and stranded 10 baserunners.
* Marshawn Taylor led the way offensively by going 4-for-5, with the lone RBI.
* Ace Felder recorded two hits.
* Garrett Smith and D'Quan Matthews each registered one hit.
* Christian Marquez (4-2) started on the hill and pitched 6.1 innings. He surrendered three runs on seven hits, fanned six and walked one.
* Kerry Boykins, Jr. worked the final 1.2 innings in relief.
* Alabama State plated five runs on nine hits and left eight on base.
* Hunter Phillips and Chris DeGuzman led the Hornets with two hits apiece.
* Alexander Castro (1-3) gave up one run on seven hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
* Dalton Wilder earned the save in pitching the final three innings in relief.
* In the nightcap, Grambling State plated five runs on seven hits, committed one error and left 13 on base.
* Rafael Ramirez (two runs scored and one RBI), D'Quan Matthews (one run scored) and Isaiah Torres (two RBIs and one run scored) led the Tigers with two hits each.
* Ace Felder had one hit.
* Anthony Hernandez (2-5) picked up the win by surrendering just one run on eight hits, walked a pair and fanned a career-high seven batters.
* Ryan Evans pitched the final inning in relief.
* Alabama State finished with one run on eight hits, committed one error and stranded 10 baserunners.
* Ray Hernandez, Cage Cox and Noel Cheneau each recorded two hits.
* Channing Walker (1-4) started for the Hornets and lasted 2.2 innings. He gave up three runs on two hits and walked six batters.
* Chase Laney pitched the final 6.1 innings in relief.
 
News and Notes
* Grambling State is seeking its 10th SWAC Tournament title and the first since 2010. The Tigers won four straight crowns from 1961 to 1964, along with three straight from 1983-1985.
* Prior to this season, Grambling State had lost five straight games to Alabama State dating back to 2012, before Thursday night's 12-7 victory.
* In the first two games of the tournament, Grambling State plated 26 runs on 27 hits.
* Grambling State placed six members on the All-SWAC Teams as Marshawn Taylor, Richard Ortiz and Isaiah Torres earned first-team honors, while Rafael Ramirez, Raul Baduel and Daniel Beizer were named to the second team.
* In 58 SWAC championships, the West Division owns a 41-17 advantage over the East Division, including a 13-4 mark over the last 17 years.
* The last time the SWAC featured an All-West final was in 2008 when Texas Southern faced Prairie View A&M.
* This year's championship will be televised live on ESPNEWS with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. The winner of the tournament will receive the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament.
 
Up Next
Grambling State advances to the 2018 SWAC Baseball Tournament championship game and will meet Texas Southern. The two teams played six times this season and split the series (3-3). First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Wesley Barrow Stadium and fans can viewed the game live on ESPNEWS or the WatchESPN app.
 
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