GRAMBLING, La. | Grambling State rallied late and walked it off in dramatic fashion on Friday afternoon, as Chris Marcellus delivered a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Tigers to a 9-8 victory over Alabama A&M at Wilbert Ellis Field.
With the game tied at 8-8 and two outs in the ninth, Marcellus stepped to the plate and crushed a 2-1 pitch over the center-field wall, capping a furious Grambling comeback and securing the Tigers' sixth win of the season.
Grambling (6-14 overall, 3-1 SWAC) trailed for much of the afternoon after Alabama A&M (7-17, 2-2)) erupted for six runs in the second inning, highlighted by a grand slam from Tervell Johnson that gave the Bulldogs a 6-1 advantage.
The Tigers chipped away in the third inning, scoring three runs to cut the deficit to 6-4. Julio Vasquez delivered a key two-run double, while Charles Ashe III added a sacrifice fly to bring Grambling back within striking distance.
After Alabama A&M extended its lead to 7-4 in the fourth and later 8-4 in the eighth, Grambling mounted its biggest push in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Tigers capitalized on patience at the plate and timely hitting, drawing multiple walks and using a sacrifice fly from Aidan Lopez to pull within one. A wild pitch later in the inning allowed the tying run to score, evening the game at 8-8.
On the mound, Trevor Esparza provided stability out of the bullpen, tossing five innings and allowing just one run while striking out four to keep Grambling within reach. Payton Allen (2-0) earned the win after pitching a scoreless ninth inning.
Offensively, Trey Bridges scored three runs and reached base four times, while Cameron Hill and Aidan Lopez each drove in runs during the comeback effort. Marcellus finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and the game-winning RBI.
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