Grambling at Bethune-Cookman Preview

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Interstat) — Grambling and Bethune-Cookman close their three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The Tigers (22-27) evened the series Friday with a 7-2 victory after the Wildcats (36-18) won Thursday’s opener 23-1. Bethune-Cookman enters with a 72.3 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, though the game simulator projects a 7-5 Grambling win.

Players to Watch

Grambling right-hander Trevor Esparza has been dominant over his last two starts, both wins. On Friday he pitched 5⅔ innings, allowing no hits and one earned run in the victory over Bethune-Cookman. On May 9 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, he struck out six over 6⅓ innings while giving up three earned runs and no hits. Esparza also worked 5⅔ innings in a win over Prairie View on April 19, allowing five hits and one earned run with four strikeouts. His lone rough outing came April 27 at Alcorn State, where he surrendered five earned runs in two innings.

Bethune-Cookman third baseman Andrey Martinez has been a consistent power threat. He homered in Friday’s loss, going 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. On Thursday he was 1-for-2 with a homer and two RBIs in the blowout win. Martinez also homered twice in a 14-11 loss at Alabama State on May 10, driving in two runs. Over his last five games, he has four home runs and seven RBIs.

Recent Results

Grambling’s win Friday featured strong pitching from Esparza and reliever Rafael Capistran, who threw 3⅓ scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Chris Marcellus homered and drove in two for the Tigers.

Bethune-Cookman’s Thursday victory saw Jean Zambrano allow one earned run over three innings, and Michael Benedict worked ⅔ of a hitless inning.

The Wildcats have won eight of their last 11 games overall, while Grambling has split its last four.

First pitch is set for 2 p.m. The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 80s.