PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – The Grambling State Tigers swept a Friday doubleheader from Prairie View A&M as the teams adjusted the schedule of their weekend series around the potential arrival of inclement weather.
 
The visiting Tigers edged Prairie View A&M 8-7 in the opening game before winning the second game 13-2 in eight innings.
 
Played under cloudy and overcast skies and windy conditions that favored hitters, the teams were able to complete both games in anticipation of heavy run on Saturday. The series finale is tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, but could be moved to Sunday if rains make Saturday's game unplayable.
 
Shannon Washington returned to the starting lineup after a 12-day absence and took advantage of the hitter-friendly winds as he slugged three home runs for the Panthers in the opening game. He went 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the contest.
 
Grambling State (21-20) improved to 14-5 in league play and is now in first place by a half-game atop the Southwestern Athletic Conference's West Division. The Tigers moved past Arkansas–Pine Bluff, which had its series at home against Southern rained out.
 
The Pine Bluff-Southern series was also of interest to the Panthers (10-27, 5-17 SWAC West), who are still in contention for the fourth and final berth into the postseason SWAC Tournament from the West Division. A win in their series finale against Grambling this weekend would match Southern's six wins in conference play.
 
Southern would need to be swept in its last two conference series – road series at Pine Bluff and Texas Southern – to force the Jaguars to return to Prairie View to face the Panthers in a tiebreaker game. The two teams were only able to play two out of three games during Southern's trip to Prairie View in March.
 
Friday's opening game saw the Panthers on the brink of victory before the Tigers triumphed in the final inning. Johan Mojica reached base on an error to lead off the ninth inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and then took third on a sacrifice bunt by Allen Mays. The next batter, Malcom Boyce delivered a perfect squeeze bunt – his second successful squeeze of the game – to score Mojica with the go-ahead run.
 
Creighton Hoover pitched the final one and one-thirds innings for the Tigers to improve to 5-2 for the season. Hoover struck out the first two batters he faced in the ninth inning, and after ceding a single to Nick Gurka, got the final out on a groundball fielder's choice with Washington in the on-deck circle.
 
Jordan Johnson absorbed the hard-luck loss for the Panthers, pitching the ninth inning and giving up the unearned run to Mojica. Johnson had a 1-2 count on Mojica, but was denied the strikeout on his next two pitches that were extremely close calls that also drew the ire of PVAMU's fans before Grambling's catcher reached base.
 
Issac O'Bear pitched seven and two-thirds innings for Grambling, striking out four while allowing six earned runs and scattering 10 hits. Starting pitcher Edgar Sanchez pitched five and one-thirds innings while striking out three and allowing five earned runs. Edward Robledo gave up one run while throwing two and two-thirds innings for PVAMU.
 
The opening game featured six ties and four lead changes. Washington gave the Panthers an early 1-0 lead with a two-out home run in the first inning, and then he helped tie the score with a two-run blast in the fourth. Darrien Williams followed with a solo home run three batters later to give PVAMU a 4-3 lead.
 
The Panthers tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth but may have left some need runs off the scoreboard. PVAMU loaded the bases with nobody out, but their single run came when Santiago Rojas scored from third when Kevin Macias grounded into a 4-3 double play.
 
Washington tied the game again in the bottom of the eighth when he led off the inning with his third home run. The blast gave him six for the season.
 
Williams finished the game with two RBIs and a 2-for-4 showing the plate. Gurka and Joe Mack also recorded two hits apiece in the game for the Panthers. Daniel Barnett and Larry Barraza each had three hits and an RBI for the Tigers in the opener.




 
GAME TWO: Grambling State 13, PVAMU 2
Friday's second game proved to be anti-climactic following the exciting contest earlier, as the Tigers scored the first 13 runs of the contest and won the game in eight innings.
 
Larry Barraza went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs for Grambling, while Barnett went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBIs.
 
The Panthers were unable to take advantage of the wind in game two, as Grambling starter Tanner Raiburn pitched six and one-thirds innings of no-hit baseball, before Joe Mack got PVAMU's first hit with one out in the seventh. Raiburn also struck out 13 batters before leaving the game in the eighth.
 
Charles Philpott took the loss for the Panthers, giving up five earned runs over seven innings while striking out three. Brashad Jones scored the Panthers' first run – the only run charged to Raiburn – on a passed ball.
 
Macias continued the late rally when knocked a double to score Gurka. It was the second consecutive double given up by Grambling reliever Torreon Woods before he got a strikeout and groundout to end the game early.