HOUSTON – The Tigers of Texas Southern University continued their dominance at home Saturday as they defeated Grambling State 11-3 at MacGregor Park.
TSU's Kamren Dukes (Pearland, Texas/Pearland) continued the longest current hitting streak in Division I baseball with a 2-for-5 day at the plate. His two-RBI double in the bottom of the second inning – scoring Trey LeBlanc and Ricky Urbano – stretched his hitting streak to 33 consecutive games.
The Tigers (23-25), who clinched their third Southwestern Athletic Conference division title Friday, improved their league record to 17-5 with the win. The win was also the team's 12th in 13 home games this season.
With the loss, Grambling (22-22) fell to 13-10, one-half game ahead of Arkansas–Pine Bluff for second place in the SWAC's West Division.
Texas Southern pitcher Peyton Schneider won his third consecutive start for the Tigers. The junior transfer from Harvard, Ill. (McHenry CC) threw six innings and struck out four batters while walking only two and allowing only two runs.
Chris Suarez picked up his TSU-leading fourth save after coming into the game to stop a Grambling rally in the seventh inning. Suarez (Spring, Texas/New Mexico Military) tossed three scoreless innings, striking out two batters and allowing only two hits.
After Suarez closed the door on Grambling's two-run seventh inning, TSU responded with six runs in the bottom of the half of the inning to take the 11-3 lead which proved to be the final margin of victory. TSU opened the inning with four consecutive singles from Keanu Van Kuren, Dukes, Gaudencio Lucca, and Christian Sanchez. Lucca's hit scored Van Kuren, while Sanchez knocked a two-RBI single.
Freshman Isaiah Perry would continue the hitting spree, knocking a one-out, pinch-hit single to score Sanchez from third base. Perry later scored on a throwing error during teammate Ryan Diaz' steal of second base; Diaz would cap the inning when he scored on LeBlanc's sacrifice fly.
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game, while Lucca went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Lucca hit a solo home run – his ninth round-tripper of the season – in the fifth inning. Lucca's performance was made even more special as he did in front of his family, who made the trip from California for TSU's final regular-season series.
Jose Camacho went 1-for-5 with an RBI single for TSU. Isaiah Torres led the Grambling bats with a 2-for-5 day, which included RBI singles in consecutive plate appearances in the fifth and seventh innings.
TSU concludes its regular season Sunday against Grambling, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Texas Southern will honor its 11 seniors on the roster prior to the start of Sunday's contest.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics
TSU's Kamren Dukes (Pearland, Texas/Pearland) continued the longest current hitting streak in Division I baseball with a 2-for-5 day at the plate. His two-RBI double in the bottom of the second inning – scoring Trey LeBlanc and Ricky Urbano – stretched his hitting streak to 33 consecutive games.
The Tigers (23-25), who clinched their third Southwestern Athletic Conference division title Friday, improved their league record to 17-5 with the win. The win was also the team's 12th in 13 home games this season.
With the loss, Grambling (22-22) fell to 13-10, one-half game ahead of Arkansas–Pine Bluff for second place in the SWAC's West Division.
Texas Southern pitcher Peyton Schneider won his third consecutive start for the Tigers. The junior transfer from Harvard, Ill. (McHenry CC) threw six innings and struck out four batters while walking only two and allowing only two runs.
Chris Suarez picked up his TSU-leading fourth save after coming into the game to stop a Grambling rally in the seventh inning. Suarez (Spring, Texas/New Mexico Military) tossed three scoreless innings, striking out two batters and allowing only two hits.
After Suarez closed the door on Grambling's two-run seventh inning, TSU responded with six runs in the bottom of the half of the inning to take the 11-3 lead which proved to be the final margin of victory. TSU opened the inning with four consecutive singles from Keanu Van Kuren, Dukes, Gaudencio Lucca, and Christian Sanchez. Lucca's hit scored Van Kuren, while Sanchez knocked a two-RBI single.
Freshman Isaiah Perry would continue the hitting spree, knocking a one-out, pinch-hit single to score Sanchez from third base. Perry later scored on a throwing error during teammate Ryan Diaz' steal of second base; Diaz would cap the inning when he scored on LeBlanc's sacrifice fly.
Sanchez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game, while Lucca went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. Lucca hit a solo home run – his ninth round-tripper of the season – in the fifth inning. Lucca's performance was made even more special as he did in front of his family, who made the trip from California for TSU's final regular-season series.
Jose Camacho went 1-for-5 with an RBI single for TSU. Isaiah Torres led the Grambling bats with a 2-for-5 day, which included RBI singles in consecutive plate appearances in the fifth and seventh innings.
TSU concludes its regular season Sunday against Grambling, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Texas Southern will honor its 11 seniors on the roster prior to the start of Sunday's contest.
Courtesy: TSU Athletics