GRAMBLING, La. | Rikkelle Miller and McKenzie Johnson homered in the opening game of a doubleheader at the Grambling State University softball team set the single-season school record for home runs on Saturday afternoon against Prairie View A&M in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series at the GSU Softball Complex.
 
Grambling State (16-21 overall, 4-12 SWAC) dropped the opener, 6-3, and fell in the second contest to PVAMU, 16-5 in six innings.
 
How It Happened – Game 1
Prairie View A&M (23-12, 10-2) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, but Grambling State erased the deficit with a two-run homer to center by Rikkelle Miller.
 
The Lady Panthers broke the 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the fifth, but just like the inning before, the Lady Tigers cut the deficit to 4-3 after a solo homer to right by McKenzie Johnson.
 
Johnson's solo home run gave Grambling State a school record with 23 round-trippers on the season.
 
Prairie View A&M plated two runs in the sixth and held off a late rally attempt in the seventh to earn a 6-3 victory.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State finished with three runs on three hits and left six on base
> McKenzie Johnson, Morgan Adams and Rikkelle Miller each collected one hit each
> D'Maria Matthews (10-10) took the loss in seven innings pitched. She gave up six runs on 11 hits, with two strikeouts and one walk
> Prairie View A&M finished with six runs on 11 hits and stranded seven on base
> Gabrielle Fonseca paced the Lady Panther offense by going 3-for-4, with three RBIs and one run scored
> Vanessa Castro (8-3) earned the victory as she gave up three runs on three hits, fanned seven and walked two in five innings pitched
> Crystal Castillo worked two innings in relief to earn the save
 
How It Happened – Game 2
Prairie View A&M plated three runs in the top of the first inning to grab a quick 3-0 lead.
 
Grambling State battled back and cut the deficit to one run in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Morgan Adams singled to left center to open the frame and moved to second when Tia Coleman was hit by a pitch. With two down, Antiya Randle delivered a two-RBI double to the gap in left center as the Lady Tigers trimmed the margin to 3-2.
 
The Lady Panthers used a seven-run fifth to grab a 10-2 lead.
 
The Lady Tigers got back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the inning by Andreana Reynolds and McKenzie Johnson and a two-run homer by Miller to trim the deficit to 10-5.
 
Prairie View A&M put the game away with six runs and took advantage of four errors to grab a 16-5 lead.
 
Inside the Numbers
> Grambling State finished with five runs on five hits, committed four errors and left three on base
> McKenzie Johnson, Morgan Adams, Rikkelle Miller, Antiya Randle and Andreana Reynolds each recorded one hit
> Ja'Lynn Bonner (3-6) took the loss in 5.1 innings pitched. She surrendered 13 runs (nine earned) on 10 hits, walked seven and struck out one
> Kenyshae Beasley worked 0.2 innings in relief
> Prairie View A&M finished with 16 runs on 12 hits, committed one error and stranded 10 baserunners
> Shelby Williams, Destinee Williams and Serena Antone collected two hits each to pace the Lady Panther offense
> Crystal Castillo (10-2) gave up five runs on five hits and fanned seven in six innings to pick up the victory
 
Up Next
Grambling State concludes its three-game SWAC series with Prairie View A&M on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the GSU Softball Complex.