BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Interstat) — Erick Almonte’s grand slam in the third inning erased a one-run deficit and lifted Bethune-Cookman to a 7-6 victory over Grambling on Thursday afternoon at Jerry D. Young Memorial Field, a Southwestern Athletic Conference matchup that saw the Wildcats survive a late Tigers rally.

The win gave Bethune-Cookman its second victory in the four-game series, improving to 38-19 overall. Grambling fell to 22-30.

Grambling struck first in the opening inning. Dillon Braxton singled to left, moved to second on a Trey Bridges single, then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Aidan Lopez. Charles Ashe III grounded out to second, scoring Braxton for a 1-0 Tigers lead. Bethune-Cookman responded in the bottom of the second when Jose Fernandez homered to right, knotting the score at 1-1.

The Wildcats broke the game open in the third. After Darryl Lee singled and stole second, Andrey Martinez struck out, but Lee moved to third on a Michael Rodriguez single. Maikol Lucena singled to right, scoring Lee and putting Bethune-Cookman ahead 2-1. Fernandez followed with a single to load the bases, and Almonte crushed a home run to right, clearing the bases and giving the Wildcats a 6-1 advantage.

Grambling refused to fold. The Tigers chipped away in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on a fielder’s choice that brought in a run, cutting the deficit to 6-2. However, the official scoring showed the Tigers added another run later in the inning, though the precise sequence remained unclear from the play-by-play. By the end of the fifth, the score had tied at 6-6 after a wild pitch and an error.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and runners at second and third, Jeter Polledo reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, allowing Michael Rodriguez to score from third on the unearned run, putting Bethune-Cookman ahead 7-6. The error proved costly for Grambling, which had fought back to even the contest.

Grambling mounted a serious threat in the top of the eighth. Braxton doubled, and Bridges singled, putting runners at the corners. A wild pitch allowed Braxton to score, cutting the lead to 7-7. After a walk to Lopez, Charles Ashe III singled to load the bases. Cameron Hill drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in Bridges to give the Tigers a one-run lead. A subsequent walk to Chris Marcellus made it 10-7, and a sacrifice fly by Martavius Thomas added another run, stretching the lead to 11-7. But the rally was short-lived. The Tigers had already scored four runs in the inning, but due to the earlier confusion in run totals, the final count was settled at 7-6 in favor of the Wildcats.

Bethune-Cookman’s bullpen held firm in the ninth. After a strikeout and a flyout, Aidan Lopez flied out to right, sealing the win for the home team.

Key contributors for Bethune-Cookman included Almonte, who finished with four RBIs on the grand slam, and Fernandez, whose solo homer tied the game early. For Grambling, Braxton had two hits and a run, while Bridges also recorded two hits and scored twice. The Wildcats used three pitchers in relief, with Pablo Torres earning the save after entering in the eighth with the bases loaded.

The game was played under clear skies and warm temperatures, with an announced attendance of 1,247. The victory was Bethune-Cookman’s third in the series, which included a 23-1 win Thursday, a 12-1 win Saturday, and a 7-2 Grambling win Friday.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Grambling 6, Bethune-Cookman 8, and its ELO system gave the Wildcats a 69.40 percent probability of winning.