The Southern baseball team, smarting from dropping two winnable games to Arkansas-Pine Bluff last weekend, went on the road and more than made amends.
The Jaguars swept Southwestern Athletic Conference Western Division leader Grambling on its home field to soar into a first-place tie with Texas Southern.
Southern (16-15, 10-3) also moved above the .500 mark overall for the first time since a season-opening win over Alcorn State.
The Jaguars won the opener 10-4 and the second game, 13-12, in 10 innings before holding off the Tigers for a 12-9 victory Sunday.
“Anytime you go on the road and sweep you get a big confidence boost,” Southern coach Chris Crenshaw said. “It’s the first time we’ve done it in a while. We swung the bats, played solid defense and ran the bases well. We got timely hits and big outings from Ranard Grace and Drew Lasseigne and good effort by our bullpen.”
Southern won the first game behind strong relief pitching from Antoine Harris and Christian Davis, who combined for four scoreless innings in relief of starter Ranard Grace. Southern took the lead on a bases-loaded error in the eighth inning and then put the game away with five runs in the ninth on run-scoring hits by Logan Sanders and KJ White and a two-run homer by Tyeler Hawkins. White, Hawkins and Khyle Radcliffe had three hits apiece.
In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Jaguars took an improbable 13-12 victory in 10 innings, getting outhit 18-4 but benefitting from 18 walks and five hit batters. The Jaguars came from behind twice as Ryan Ollison hit a grand slam for a 12-10 lead in the eighth innings.
After Grambling tied it with two runs in the bottom of the ninth, Khyle Radcliffe was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the winning run. Jalon Mack had a two-run homer in the first inning and Southern scored three times on wild pitches, twice when hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and once on a bases-loaded walk. Jerry Burkett pitched a scoreless 10th inning for his third save.
Southern led all the way in the Sunday finale. Jacoby Radcliffe knocked in three runs, and Jalon Mack had a two-run single as the Jaguars built a 10-4 lead in the early innings. When Grambling rallied to make it 10-8, Kameron Byrd singled home a run in the seventh inning and Sadir Ryan hit a run-scoring double in the eighth to make it 12-8.
Jaden Brasseaux pitched three shutout innings to help stop a Grambling rally. Jerry Burkett finished up, allowing a run in the ninth.
“Jaden Brasseaux gave us a big inning Saturday and three today,” Crenshaw said. “They were making a run, and he came in and put the fire out, then got the ball to Jerry for the ninth.
“Antoine (Harris) had a good outing, and he may be the right-handed reliever we need. He’s starting to be that guy.”
Southern will be back in action at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Lee-Hines Field against Dillard, a makeup game from April 9.
The Jaguars will then play at the University of Houston at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, then stay in Houston for a four-game showdown with Texas Southern for first place in the division beginning at 3 p.m. Friday.
One of the games is a makeup from a rained-out game in Baton Rouge.