BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — Miguel Oropeza hit a grand slam in the third inning to break open a scoreless game and the Alabama State Hornets rolled to a 10-0 victory over the Grambling Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field.

Oropeza, the Hornets’ right fielder, finished 3 for 4 with five runs batted in, lifting his average during a recent hot streak. He had four RBI in a win at Alcorn State on May 16 and three RBI in a victory over Bethune-Cookman on May 10. His grand slam in the bottom of the third inning turned a tight contest into a rout, as Alabama State sent nine batters to the plate and scored four runs on three hits.

The game was scoreless through the first two innings. Alabama State starter Jorhan LaBoy worked five innings, allowing five hits and no earned runs while striking out four. He was supported by a defense that turned two double plays and by a bullpen that did not allow a run over the final four innings. James Peterson pitched three scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out five. Camden Matthews recorded no outs but faced one batter in a brief appearance.

Grambling starter Keyon Guillory took the loss. Despite yielding no hits over his five innings of work, he was charged with six earned runs as a result of walks, hit batters and defensive mistakes. The Tigers’ pitching staff struggled with control and was undone by a pair of errors in the outfield. Guillory struck out two batters and walked three. Reliever Hampton Phillips threw 2 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on no hits while striking out three.

The Hornets broke through in the third. Quentin Jenkins singled, Fabian Santana singled and Devin Chandler singled to load the bases. After Breydon Divine reached on a fielder’s choice, Oropeza launched a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a grand slam, giving Alabama State a 4-0 lead.

Alabama State added an unearned run in the fourth when Trey Callaway scored on a double play after reaching on a walk and advancing on a single by Jackson Williams. Callaway also drove in a run with a single in the sixth, and Williams added an RBI single in the same inning to make it 7-0.

The Hornets put the game away in the eighth. Callaway and Cale Clark each scored on a two-run single by Santana, who went 3 for 4 with two RBI. Oropeza then singled through the left side for his fifth RBI, scoring pinch runner Alex Espaillat to push the lead to 10-0.

Grambling’s best scoring chance came in the second inning when three straight batters were hit by pitches to load the bases, but Trey Bridges struck out to end the threat. The Tigers managed only six hits, led by first baseman Aidan Lopez, who went 2 for 3 with a walk. Shortstop Trey Bridges also had two hits. Grambling struck out 10 times and left eight runners on base.

Alabama State improved to 31-21 overall with the win, while Grambling fell to 22-29. The Hornets have now won three of their last four games, while the Tigers have lost five of their last six.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Alabama State 7, Grambling 6. The system’s ELO model gave the Hornets a 64.80 percent probability to win the game.