BATON ROUGE, La. | Grambling State was limited offensively and couldn't recover from a late surge by LSU, falling 7-1 on Tuesday evening at Alex Box Stadium.

Grambling State dropped to 5-14 on the season, while LSU improved to 15-7. 

The Tigers had an early opportunity in the first inning, putting runners on second and third with one out, but LSU escaped the jam to keep the game scoreless.

LSU broke through in the second inning when Omar Serna Jr. doubled and later scored on an RBI groundout to give the home team a 1-0 lead. 

Grambling State answered in the fourth. Chris Marcellus singled up the middle and advanced into scoring position before Hasani Johnson delivered an RBI single to right field, tying the game at 1-1. 

The game remained tight through the middle innings as Grambling State's pitching staff kept LSU in check. Starter Shaun Mante allowed just one run over three innings, while the bullpen combined to limit damage despite working through traffic on the bases.

LSU regained the lead in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly, then added another run in the fifth on a wild pitch to take a 3-1 advantage. 

Grambling State continued to battle but struggled to capitalize offensively, leaving nine runners on base and striking out 15 times in the contest. Shannon Martin led the Tigers with two hits, while Marcellus and Aidan Lopez each added a hit. 

The game broke open in the eighth inning when LSU plated four runs, highlighted by a solo home run from Serna Jr. and a two-run single by Chris Stanfield, extending the lead to 7-1. 

Keevyn Goss (1-4) was charged with the loss after allowing one run, none earned, in one inning of relief. Grambling State used seven pitchers in the game, combining for six strikeouts while issuing eight walks.

FOLLOW GRAMBLING ATHLETICS
Stay updated with Grambling State Athletics by following @GSU_Tigers on X, @gramblingathletics on Instagram, and /GramblingStateTigers1901 on Facebook, or by visiting gsutigers.com