JACKSON, Miss. (Interstat) — The Grambling Tigers opened their Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule with a commanding 11-1 victory over the Alcorn State Braves on Friday afternoon at Trustmark Park, a game defined by an early offensive outburst and a cascade of Alcorn State miscues.

The tone was set decisively in the first two innings. Alcorn State scratched out an early run in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Adams III was hit by a pitch from Grambling starter Keevyn Goss, advanced on a groundout and eventually scored. That brief lead was emphatically erased in the bottom half. After a strikeout and a single, Grambling catcher Chris Marcellus launched a two-run homer to left field off Braves starter D. Kriley, scoring Trey Bridges for a 2-1 advantage.

Grambling broke the game open in the second inning, capitalizing on Alcorn State’s defensive struggles. Aidan Lopez led off with a triple and scored when James Woody reached on a throwing error by the third baseman. Ryan Davis then singled home Woody, pushing the lead to 4-1. The Braves’ troubles compounded in the third and fourth innings. In the third, a single, an error, a passed ball and a walk forced home another run before Woody added a sacrifice fly.

The fourth inning proved the most damaging for Alcorn State. Grambling sent nine men to the plate, scoring three times on just one hit—an RBI double by Hasani Johnson. The other two runs crossed on a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk to Shannon Martin, with another run scoring on that same wild pitch sequence. The inning was prolonged by a hit batter, a walk and aggressive baserunning, stretching the Tigers’ lead to 9-1.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly Grambling’s immediate and powerful response in the first inning, followed by their relentless pressure in the second and fourth. Marcellus’s two-run homer not only reclaimed the lead but also established momentum that Alcorn State never recovered from. The Braves’ pitching and defense unraveled from there, committing multiple errors, wild pitches and a passed ball that led to five unearned runs. Grambling’s disciplined approach forced seven walks and saw three batters hit by pitches.

Grambling starter Keevyn Goss earned the win, working four innings and allowing just one unearned run on one hit while striking out four. Alcorn State used five pitchers, with starter D. Kriley taking the loss after surrendering four runs, two earned, in two innings.

Offensively, Grambling’s 10-hit attack was led by Trey Bridges, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Chris Marcellus drove in two with his first-inning homer, and Hasani Johnson added two hits, two RBIs and three stolen bases. Alcorn State managed only two hits, with its lone run driven in by pinch-hitter J. Hollway in the seventh inning.

The game, part of a SWAC series played at a neutral site, improved Grambling’s record to 1-0, while Alcorn State fell to 0-1. The Tigers are scheduled to face Texas Southern on Saturday, also in Jackson. The Braves will meet Prairie View on Saturday at the same venue.