ATLANTA – Four players had two hits for the Wildcats Friday evening, as Bethune-Cookman defeated Grambling State 7-3 in an elimination game for the Cats in the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Baseball Tournament inside Russ Chandler Stadium. The event is taking place on the campus of Georgia Tech.
With the win, Bethune-Cookman advances to Saturday's elimination game, once again, versus No. 1 seed (Eastern Division) Grambling State at 3 p.m.
With the game tied at 3-all in the top of the eighth inning, Bethune-Cookman (32-26) stepped in front 4-3 when
Irvin Escobar singled through the left side to plate
Robert Moya after the Wildcats designated hitter singled to leadoff the inning. With the bases loaded and one out,
Luis Tuero reached on a fielder's choice to push in Escobar to push the lead to 5-3.
BCU would add a pair of insurance runs in the top-half of the ninth.
Colton Olasin doubled to right field to score Moya and pinch runner
Malik Stephens and increase the Wildcats lead to 7-3.
It would relief pitcher
Derrius York three scoreless innings to end the game, allowing just a single hit and striking out one batter.
Bethune-Cookman stepped in front in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out RBI single to centerfield from Boris Peña to score Garret Chun and put the Wildcats up 3-2.
Grambling State (29-25) answered with a run in the home-half of the fifth to knot the game once again, as Tiger Borom drove across Keanu Jacobs-Guishard from second to even the game at 3-3.
The Wildcats pulled a run back in the top of the fourth inning when
Irvin Escobar doubled off the wall in left-center, scoring Moya to halve the Grambling lead, 2-1. An RBI groundout from second baseman Olasin was good enough to plate
Manny Souffrain and even the score at 2-all.
Grambling State opened the game's scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out, two-run home run from Keylon Mack – his 16th of the season in that department. He brought in Kyle Walker who walked in his earlier at-bat.
The win went to York out of the pen, bumping his record to 2-1 on the season. Despite failing to factor into the decision, BCU starter
Louis Lipthratt tossed six innings, giving up just three runs on five hits, one walk and registering a game-high five strikeouts.
The loss was tagged to Grambling reliever Javier Martinez, dropping his record for the season at 1-4, as he worked 2.2 innings out of the bullpen, giving up two runs on two hits. GSU starter Kerry Boykins didn't factor into the decision as he pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, one walk and one strikeout.
The Tigers were paced offensively at the plate by Mack with the two-run home run.
Bethune-Cookman used four players with two hits each on the evening including Moya with a 2-for-3 showing and scoring three runs. Escobar turned in a 2-for-5 night with two RBIs. And it was Peña and Souffrain with two hits each as well.
The Wildcats and Tigers will face off once again in an elimination game for both teams and a chance to advance to Sunday's SWAC Tournament title game, when the teams meet Saturday at 3 p.m.
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