Big inning dooms Grambling State in NCAA Tournament opener

One bad inning. It’s what doomed Grambling State in its first NCAA Tournament action in 14 years when top-seeded and host Texas A&M scored 7 runs in the second inning on the way to an 8-0 win at the College Station Regional Friday afternoon.
The Aggies (45-13) took advantage of what may have been some early nerves by GSU in that lone big inning — scoring on base hits, errors, wild pitches and moving runners over into scoring position.
Take away that one blowup, and the G-Men (26-27) accounted themselves more than adequately.
The Tigers had plenty of chances to get on the scoreboard against a vaunted Texas A&M pitching staff, but couldn’t turn any of its 9 hits on the day into runs. A&M starter Tanner Jones, who had been battling injuries toward the latter part of the SEC schedule, only lasted 3 1/3 innings, but head coach Jim Schlossnagle turned to veteran reliever Brad Rudis (6-0) at a key time in the game and he picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief. All told the Aggies scattered the 9 hits with 11 strikeouts.
Offensively, Tiger Borom, Ashton Inman and Demarckus Smiley picked up 2 hits apiece for GSU.
Mason Martinez started on the bump for Grambling, entering the game with a stellar 12-2 record. He absorbed the loss, lasting only 1 2/3 innings while giving up 7 runs with 5 walks and 3 wild pitches.
Javier Martinez and Jeremiah Newman came in out of the bullpen for GSU, holding the powerful Aggies at bay the rest of the game with one more run.
Even more impressive was the fact that Grambling’s staff gave up only one extra base hit the entire game — a double to Ted Burton. Entering the game, Texas A&M piled up 256 extra base hits on the season.
Senior Braden Montgomery led the Aggies with 3 hits, all singles. He entered the game with 26 home runs.
GSU had its best chances to compete early in the game, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and twice leaving two men stranded in scoring position in the first and third innings.
In that fourth inning, Trevor Hatton singled followed by another base hit by Smiley and the Tigers were in business. Following a groundout, Martavius Thomas walked to load them up, but that’s when the Aggies brought Rudis in for Jones.
It worked. Borom struck out and Kyle Walker flied out to end the threat.
While the Aggies move on to the winners bracket to face the victor between Texas and UL-Lafayette at 8 p.m. Saturday, GSU awaits the loser in an elimination game scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.