HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — The Grambling Tigers struck first, but the Southeastern Louisiana Lions unleashed a devastating fourth-inning barrage to turn a close game into a rout, winning 13-3 on Friday night at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

The game’s decisive turning point came in the bottom of the fourth, transforming a 3-2 contest into a blowout. The Lions sent 15 batters to the plate, scoring nine runs on seven hits to seize complete control.

Grambling (4-8) had built its early lead with single runs in the second and third innings. In the second, Kobe Marcellus drove in Jaden Martin with a single. In the third, Trey Bridges launched his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center that scored Cameron Thomas for a 3-1 advantage.

Southeastern Louisiana (7-7) chipped away in the second on an RBI single by Justin Williams and added another in the third on a bases-loaded walk by Bryce Wright. That set the stage for the explosive fourth.

The inning began ominously for Grambling with three consecutive walks, loading the bases and prompting a pitching change. Reliever Derrick Allen entered to face Brody Capps, the Lions’ top performer. Capps, who entered the game on a hot streak, demolished the first pitch he saw from Allen, launching a grand slam to left-center for his fifth homer of the year. The blast gave the Lions a 6-3 lead they would not relinquish.

The onslaught continued unabated. After a single and a walk, Alex Perry cleared the bases with a rare inside-the-park home run to center field, his first of the season, pushing the lead to 9-3. The Lions were not done, adding two more runs on an RBI single from Williams and a run-scoring single from Ben Robichaux before the inning finally ended.

The most important part of the game was unquestionably Capps’ grand slam. It not only erased Grambling’s lead but also ignited the nine-run inning that decided the contest. The swing shifted all momentum permanently to the home side.

Robichaux added a solo home run in the sixth, his second of the season, and Connor Cuff hit a solo shot in the fifth, his second, to cap the Lions’ scoring. Southeastern Louisiana finished with 15 hits.

Grambling managed only six hits, with Bridges’ two-hit, two-RBI day leading the way. Mohamed Harati provided a bright spot in relief for the Tigers, pitching three hitless innings with two strikeouts after entering in the fourth.

Lions starter Brady St. Pierre (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings, striking out six. Grambling starter Christian Goss (0-2) took the loss. Southeastern Louisiana relievers Logan Freche and Triston Todorowski combined for three perfect innings of relief with four strikeouts to close out the game.

The victory moved Southeastern Louisiana back to .500 on the season, while Grambling dropped its second straight game. The two teams are scheduled for a doubleheader on Saturday to conclude the series.

The final score far exceeded the projection of Interstat’s game simulator, which had predicted a 5-3 Lions victory. Southeastern Louisiana’s ELO win probability was 81.4 percent.