SU baseball sweeps GSU in 7-6 series

The Jaguars sixth and seventh inning performances kept them in the race for the western division title as they swept Grambling 7-6 in a three game series.
“The object of this game is to win,” said baseball head coach Roger Cador. “And we did that.”
In game three, the Jaguars (21-16 overall, 15-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) trailed 6-4 in the sixth inning, until senior centerfielder Demarcus Coats landed the game winning hit.
Coats brought in freshman second baseman Scott Williamson and senior DH Darren Clark to give the Jaguars the two needed after a score by junior left fielder Mario Spann to end the game on top.
“I knew playing them up there would be tough,” Cador said. “Grambling played very well. They made it very difficult.”
Going into the eighth inning of game two, the score was tied 5-5 before a base hit by freshmen first baseman Stephan Davis scored Williamson after his double moved him into scoring position. Grambling came back as junior first baseman Marvin Mercer hit a homer, but the Tiger’s right fielder struck out as he watched the pitch from sophomore pitcher Jeffrey McCullum. McCullum picked up the save for the Jaguars.
“We’ve been gelling as a team real good,” said Davis. “When you have a teammate that can come through, that’s a good sign.”
Southern escaped game one on a double by Davis and a double by junior right fielder Gerard Gause for the win in the seventh inning with two outs.
With the win, Southern is now tied with Prairie View (27-14, 15-6) for the SWAC Western Division lead. PVAM was off this past weekend. The winner of this pivotal showdown will claim the west’s number one seed heading into the 2006 SWAC Baseball Tournament in Pearl, Miss.
“This makes the series with Prairie View a bit more meaningful,” Cador said.
But he said there’s also room for his team to improve.
“They are looking to win a division title, the thing that we’re looking for is an opportunity to play better,” Cador said.
Last week Coats was selected as player of the week for SWAC baseball. He played in four games to help the Jaguars to a 4-0 (3-0 SWAC) week. He hit for a .643 avg. (9-14) with 1 double, 2 triples, 1 home run and 7 RBIs.