LORMAN, Miss. (Interstat) — Payton Allen tossed six innings of one-hit relief and Shannon Martin drove in five runs as Grambling defeated Alcorn State 20-8 in the first game of a Southwestern Athletic Conference doubleheader Monday.

Grambling jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, scoring all five runs unearned. After Aidan Lopez singled and Trey Bridges reached on a throwing error by the first baseman, Cameron Hill walked to load the bases. Martin singled through the right side, scoring Bridges and Lopez. Charles Ashe III doubled to left, driving in Martin and Hill, and James Woody doubled to left center to score Ashe. The Tigers added two more in the second inning. Bridges doubled, Hill walked, and Martin doubled to left, plating both runners to make it 7-0.

Alcorn State answered in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by Clayvonjae Wright. In the third inning, the Braves tied the game. Chance Jackson scored on a throwing error by the catcher, Jaylyn Bennett singled home Keatan Hawk, and after a hit by pitch and a walk, Christian Dunn doubled to center field, driving in three runs and knotting the score 7-7.

Grambling regained the lead in the top of the fourth. Bridges singled to center, and Hill homered to left, his two-run shot making it 9-7. Alcorn State answered in the bottom half when Jackson doubled and Bennett doubled to right, scoring Jackson to cut the lead to 9-8. Allen then entered from the bullpen for Grambling.

Allen struck out Clayvonjae Wright to end the fourth, then worked around a leadoff walk in the fifth. Martin walked and Ashe singled up the middle for two runs in the fifth, and Lopez tripled to right in the sixth to drive in Daniel Soukup II, stretching the lead to 12-8. Allen retired the Braves in order in the fifth and sixth, striking out four over that stretch.

Grambling broke the game open in the eighth. Nicholas Jackson Jr. scored on an error, Lopez doubled home Soukup, and Martin drew a bases-loaded walk to force in Lopez. Ashe then walked to force in Bridges, making it 16-8. In the ninth, Woody doubled, Ryan Davis doubled to score Woody, and Bridges doubled to right center, bringing home Davis and Lopez. Following a wild pitch, Bridges stole home, and Woody walked with the bases loaded to score the final run.

Martin finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs. Ashe went 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Lopez, Woody and Bridges each had three hits and two RBIs. Hill added a home run among his two walks. Allen’s final line: 6 innings, zero hits, one earned run and seven strikeouts. He struck out the side in the seventh.

Jaylyn Bennett went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Alcorn State, and Christian Dunn drove in three runs on a double. The Braves used six pitchers, with starter Kanious Davis taking the loss after allowing five unearned runs in one-third of an inning.

Grambling improved to 17-23 overall and 9-9 in SWAC play. Alcorn State dropped to 3-35 and 1-17. The teams were scheduled to play the second game of the doubleheader later Monday. No betting line was available for the game.