It’s been six years since Grambling State reached the SWAC Championship game in baseball, last claiming an appearance in 2018. It’s been over a decade since the Tigers won one, bringing home the title in 2010 with James Cooper as skipper. Those droughts are in the books after Grambling knocked off Jackson State 6-5 with a bottom of the ninth RBI in Atlanta on Sunday.
Jackson State got the scoring going early in the top of the first inning when Myles White doubled down the left field line scoring Rodney Hibler Jr and Jordan McCladdie, putting JSU up 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, Kyle Walker put Grambling on the board with a single to left scoring Chris Marcellus. In the following inning, Grambling took a 4-2 lead when Trevor Hatton doubled down the left field line to drive in a pair of runs before Marcellus hit a blooper to short center to drive in Hatton.
Jackson State would tie the game after securing runs in the fifth and seventh innings. In the fifth, Joseph Eichelberger was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in McCladdie. Then in the seventh Sebastian Cabeza drew a bases-loaded walk on a full count to bring in Lenny Montesano to tie the game with two outs in the inning.
Then came the drama in the ninth inning. JSU retook the lead when Eichelberger scored after Robert Tate Jr. struckout but no one was covering home on the play. That secured a huge 5-4 lead for Jackson State late in the baseball game. But Grambling State wouldn’t flinch.
In the bottom of the ninth Walker scored on a slow rolling ball down the third base line to tie the game, and on the throw Cameron Bufford was safe for the thrilling 6-5 Grambling State win in the SWAC Championship.
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