BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — Caleb Granger pitched six innings of four-hit ball and the Florida A&M Rattlers rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Texas Southern Tigers 8-6 on Wednesday evening at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field.

Granger allowed one earned run and struck out two while scattering four hits to earn his second victory over Texas Southern in eight days. The Rattlers, who have won four of their past five games, improved to 28-22 overall and moved above .500 in Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The Tigers dropped to 18-22.

Texas Southern jumped ahead in the top of the first inning when C. Chavez was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single up the middle by Anthony Ruiz. Ruiz went 4 for 4 with two runs batted in, setting the table for a Tigers offense that totaled 10 hits.

The Rattlers answered in the bottom of the first. W. Brown singled, C. Kresak singled down the right-field line and Jay Campbell delivered a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score Brown. E. Miller followed with a run-scoring single down the left-field line that plated Kresak, cutting the Texas Southern lead to 2-1.

Campbell led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo home run to right field, tying the game 2-2. He finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

The Tigers regained the lead in the top of the seventh inning, scoring four runs off the Rattlers bullpen after Granger had departed. With one out, Elijah Rodriguez doubled down the left-field line and Z. Pace singled on a bunt. After a strikeout, Nate Lopez singled through the left side to score Rodriguez. Ruiz followed with a single that was misplayed by the Rattlers first baseman, allowing two more runs to score on the error. Byron Robinson then hammered a two-run home run to right-center field, extending Texas Southern’s lead to 6-2.

Robinson finished 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Ruiz scored three runs and drove in two.

The Tigers’ advantage proved short-lived. In the bottom of the seventh, Florida A&M mounted a decisive rally. Campbell led off with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. After a walk to J. McKenzie and a sacrifice bunt, Colton Ryals – who entered the game earlier in the inning as a defensive replacement – singled to left field to score Campbell. Ryals stole second, and after a strikeout and an intentional walk, J. Brown roped a two-run single to center field, tying the game at 6-6. W. Brown followed with a run-scoring single through the left side that plated J. Figueroa, giving the Rattlers an 8-6 lead.

Joshua Prieto relieved for Texas Southern and induced a walk but escaped further damage by striking out Campbell to end the inning. Prieto tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.

The Tigers threatened in the eighth when E. Joubert led off with a single, but he was stranded after a strikeout and a groundout. In the ninth, Clark Lincoln and Cody Williams combined to retire the side in order. Williams earned the save with a perfect ninth inning, striking out Robinson to end the game.

For Florida A&M, Granger set the tone early, working efficiently through six innings while yielding only four hits. He did not walk a batter and relied on his defense to navigate the Tigers’ lineup. The Rattlers outhit Texas Southern 14-10.

The game marked the fourth meeting between the two teams in a seven-day span. Florida A&M won the previous three games by scores of 4-2, 13-2 and 9-8 in 16 innings on May 16.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Florida A&M 7, Texas Southern 2. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Rattlers a 64.40 percent probability to win.