Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Grambling State struck early with Cameron Hill RBI and Hasani Johnson RBI double, seizing momentum.
- Grambling State got back-to-back homers from Chris Marcellus and Ryan Davis, extending its advantage.
- Bethune-Cookman attempted a late rally with a solo homer by Andrey Martinez, but Grambling State added ninth-inning RBIs to finish strong.
- The result keeps the SWAC race tight; Bethune-Cookman can finish first to third, and Grambling State gains tournament momentum.
Grambling State kept the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball race alive Friday night, defeating Bethune-Cookman 7-2 and denying the Wildcats an opportunity to clinch the regular season championship.
The loss drops Bethune-Cookman to 36-18 overall and 22-7 in SWAC play heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale. Despite still sitting atop the conference standings, the Wildcats now enter the final day of the season with multiple postseason scenarios still in play.
Bethune-Cookman can still finish anywhere from first to third place depending on Friday and Saturday’s results across the conference.
Meanwhile, Grambling State improved to 21-29 overall and 18-11 in league play with a statement road victory in Daytona Beach.
Grambling jumps on Bethune-Cookman early
Grambling wasted little time taking control.
The Tigers struck first in the opening inning when Cameron Hill singled to left field to drive in Martavius Thomas for a 1-0 lead. Later in the frame, Hasani Johnson ripped an RBI double to right field to make it 2-0.
Bethune-Cookman answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning on a Maikol Lucena RBI groundout, but Grambling immediately regained momentum in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs.
Chris Marcellus launched a homer to left field before Ryan Davis followed with a blast to left-center, extending the Tigers’ lead to 4-1.
Grambling added another run in the sixth inning when Marcellus doubled home Shannon Martin to make it 5-1.
Wildcats unable to complete comeback
Bethune-Cookman attempted to rally in the seventh inning when Andrey Martinez connected on a solo home run to left field, trimming the deficit to 5-2.
However, Grambling shut the door late.
In the ninth inning, Cameron Hill delivered an RBI single to score Ryan Davis before Hasani Johnson added a sacrifice fly to center field that brought home Martavius Thomas and sealed the 7-2 victory.
Hill and Johnson combined for four RBIs in the win.
SWAC title race still alive heading into Saturday
The loss creates major implications for the SWAC standings entering the final day of the regular season.
Bethune-Cookman entered the weekend in control of the conference race and appeared poised to secure the outright regular season championship after Thursday’s 23-1 blowout victory over Grambling.
Instead, the Wildcats now face pressure entering Saturday’s finale.
A win would clinch the SWAC regular season title outright. A loss could potentially open the door for Florida A&M or Southern depending on other conference results and winning percentages.
The SWAC standings remain tightly packed entering the final day of the season, making Saturday one of the most important days of the conference baseball season.
Grambling builds momentum before SWAC Tournament
For Grambling State, the victory serves as a major confidence boost ahead of the SWAC Baseball Tournament.
The Tigers showed resilience after suffering a historic blowout loss Thursday night and responded with timely hitting, strong pitching and early offensive pressure.
Marcellus finished with two extra-base hits, while Hill and Johnson consistently delivered in key moments.
Now, both teams head into Saturday with plenty still at stake — and the SWAC championship race far from decided.
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