DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | The Grambling State baseball team responded in a big way on Friday night, using timely hitting and strong pitching to defeat Bethune-Cookman 7-2 in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) action at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
With the victory, Grambling State improved to 21-29 overall and 18-11 in SWAC play.
The Tigers wasted no time taking control offensively, scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Martavius Thomas opened the game with a single before Trey Bridges followed with a double to right field. Cameron Hill drove home the game's first run with an RBI single, and Hasani Johnson later added an RBI double to give GSU a 2-0 lead.
Bethune-Cookman (36-18, 22-7) answered with a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI groundout by Maikol Lucena, but Grambling quickly regained momentum in the second inning.
Chris Marcellus sparked the frame with a solo home run to left field before Ryan Davis followed immediately with a solo blast to left-center field, extending the Tigers' advantage to 4-1.
Grambling State's pitching staff then took over.
Trevor Esparza delivered a strong outing on the mound, limiting Bethune-Cookman to one run on six hits across 5.2 innings while helping the Tigers keep the Wildcats off balance throughout the night. Esparza improved to 4-2 on the season.
The Tigers added another insurance run in the sixth inning when Marcellus doubled to left field to score Shannon Martin and stretch the lead to 5-1.
Bethune-Cookman trimmed the deficit in the seventh inning after Andrey Martinez connected on a solo homer to left field, cutting the score to 5-2.
GSU answered immediately with two more runs in the ninth inning. Ryan Davis reached after being hit by a pitch before Thomas singled to right field. Hill delivered another RBI single, and Johnson capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Rafael Capistran closed the door for Grambling State, tossing 3.1 innings in relief while allowing just one run and striking out four to earn his third save of the season.
Thomas paced the Tigers offensively, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Bridges added two hits, while Hill finished with two RBIs. Marcellus collected two hits, including a homer and double, while driving in two runs. Davis also homered and scored twice.
Grambling State totaled 11 hits in the win and held Bethune-Cookman to just two runs after surrendering 23 runs in Thursday's series opener.
UP NEXT
Grambling State concludes the regular season on Saturday afternoon when it faces Bethune-Cookman in the third game of the sereis. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. CST at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
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