Baseball Starts Key Weekend Series With Doubleheader Sweep Over Grambling State

GRAMBLING, La. – Texas Southern shook up the SWAC West standings with a doubleheader sweep over division-leading Grambling State on Saturday.
 
TSU 14, GRAMBLING STATE 6
 
A tight game turned in TSU’s favor in an instant as an eight-run eighth propelled TSU to a 14-6 win in the opener.
 
Alexander Olivo started the contest off with a solo homer in the second but GSU countered with two outs in the third with a three-run frame for a 3-1 lead. The score would remain the same until the sixth as Shannon Martin drew a leadoff walk followed by CJ Castillo’s single. Martin moved to third on a fielder’s choice before scoring on Olivo’s RBI groundout. A GSU throwing error led to a tie game as Daalen Adderley scored from second.
 
Grambling State threatened to move ahead in the seventh with runners in scoring position but starter Abraham Deleon recorded a strikeout and groundout to end the inning.
 
GSU opened the eighth with a pitching change and was on the verge of having a quick inning as two of the first three batters were out. TSU’s Jeffry Mercado was hit by a pitch followed by a walk which loaded the bases. A passed ball broke the tie which set up Ron Brown’s three-run homer for a 7-3 advantage.
 
Ben Hovda drew a walk and eventually scored on Jordan Vidato’s RBI. Jaden Jones was hit by a pitch which set up CJ Castillo’s two-RBI single and a GSU pitching change. Adderley and Olivo both hit singles as the latter drove in the 11^th run of the contest.
 
TSU tacked on three more in the ninth as Hovda, Vidato and Jones all recorded an RBI.
 
Deleon had another strong game on the mound with 13 strikeouts in seven innings. Adderley finished 3-for-6 with two runs while Castillo, Olivo, Brown and Vidato had two hits. Both Olivo and Brown led the way with three RBI.
 
TSU 11, GRAMBLING STATE 7
 
TSU set the tone early and pulled away late as they defeated Grambling State 11-7.
 
Shannon Martin led the game off with a walk and moved to third on CJ Castillo’s single. Martin scored on a passed ball and Alexander Olivo’s RBI double drove in Castillo and Daalen Adderley for an early 3-0 lead. Adderley led the third off with a single and scored the game’s fourth run on Olivo’s RBI single. However, the lead evaporated in the bottom of the third as GSU scored four runs to knot the contest at 4-all.
TSU gained the runs back in the fourth as Ben Hovda led the inning with a single and moved to third on a GSU throwing error which allowed Jordan Vidato to reach base. Hovda scored on a wild pitch to break the tie as Martin drew a walk. CJ Castillo loaded the bases with a single and a GSU fielding error allowed two runs to score. Castillo made the score 8-4 after scoring on a run down.
 
Vidato’s RBI in the fifth scored Roderick Coffee for a 9-4 advantage. GSU scored once in the fifth but TSU added another run in the sixth to lead 10-5 as Adderley scored on a passed ball. CJ Castillo’s sac fly in the seventh scored the final run for TSU as they held off GSU the rest of the way.
 
Castillo went 3-for-5 with two runs scored an RBI. Olivo was 3-for-4 with three RBI while Martin and Vidato both had two hits. Domenic Martinez struck out nine for the win as he pitched 7.1 innings.
 
TSU closes out the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday.