The Grambling State University baseball team had No. 9 Arkansas on the ropes for much of the afternoon but wasn’t able to hold off the Razorbacks, falling 9-7 at Baum-Walker Stadium on Tuesday.
GSU (1-3) held a 6-1 lead in the fifth inning, the largest ever for a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) team over Arkansas (3-1), but couldn’t fend off the late innings charge by Arkansas.
Starting pitcher Jacorey Boudreaux kept Arkansas hitters off balance during his outing, not by overpowering them with high velocity, but by using an array of off-speed pitches and location to disrupt the timing of the Razobacks’ swings. Boudreaux worked four complete innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out three batters.
Grambling State kept the pressure on the Razorback pitchers for much of the game. The Tigers outhit Arkansas 13-9 and forced the UA into committing two errors. Kyle Walker, Trevor Hatton, Cameron Bufford and Jose Vargas had the hot bats for GSU.
Hatton racked up three RBI while going 2-for-3. Two of his RBI came courtesy of a two-run homer in the top of the first that gave GSU a quick 2-0 lead. Walker and Bufford both went 3-for-5. Bufford drove in two runs while Walker brought one around to score.
Walker opened the top of the third with a lead-off single, advancing to second base on a balk. Cameron Bufford made the Razorbacks pay with an RBI knock to make the score 3-0.
GSU kept the good times rolling with a three-run fourth inning. Kyle Walker smacked a two-out RBI single into center field, stretching the advantage to 4-1. Hatton drove Walker in with a hit to left field. Bufford extended the lead to 6-1 with a hit to left field.
After Arkansas added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, Jose Vargas drove in a run for the Tigers in the top of the fifth, extending the advantage to 7-3. Vargas went 2-for-3 on the day.
The Razorbacks kicked into gear in the bottom of the frame, scoring three runs on two hits. UA tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings, tying the contest 7-7. Arkansas scored its final two runs in the eighth inning, plating runs on two sacrifice flies.
In the ninth inning, the Tigers brought the tying run to the plate following a leadoff single by Buford, but GSU couldn’t cash in.
Courtesy: Grambling State Athletics
