GRAMBLING, La. — Arkansas-Pine Bluff just missed out on its first win of the year and the Golden Lions dropped both games of a SWAC doubleheader to Grambling State Saturday.
UAPB (0-11) lost the first game 5-1 and after having a 6-1 lead in the second game, Grambling State came back to force extra innings and beat the Golden Lions 9-8 in 11 innings.
In the first game, Grambling State held UAPB to six hits and had a 4-0 lead after four innings. In the top of the fifth inning, UAPB got on the board on Sean Samsa’s RBI double.
Jordan Sechler pitched 7 1/3 innings in the loss and gave up five runs on 12 hits, walked two and struck out five batters.
In the second game, UAPB got a run in the first inning when Samsa scored on a passed ball. Grambling State was able to tie the game up in the bottom half of the opening frame.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions exploded for five runs in the top of the second inning. Cody DeMara had a two-RBI double and Lukas Fortino, Weeber and Jacob Whitney all had RBI singles.
UAPB would not score another run for the next eight innings, though, and that allowed Grambling State to chip away at the lead. The Tigers scored two runs in the fifth inning, one in the sixth and tied the game at 6 in the eighth inning.
The Golden Lions took the lead in the top of the 11th when Fortino scored on a wild pitch and Samsa scored on a bases loaded walk.
UAPB’s Vince Newton walked the first two batters of the bottom half of the inning. He was able to get a strikeout before giving up a double to tie the game.
Newton struck out the next batter before giving up the walk-off RBI single with two outs as Grambling State got the 9-8 win.
UAPB plays at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Oklahoma in Norman.