THE LEAD
DBU opened the weekend series with a 3-0 win over Grambling State on Friday night at Horner Ballpark. Jameson Hannah went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Patriot offense.
 
Ray Gaither (4-0) earned the win after striking out five through five scoreless innings and allowing just six hits. Tanner Raiburn (1-1) suffered the loss, giving up two runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings of work with six strikeouts. Dalton Higgins (2) threw two perfect innings to close the game and pick up the save.
 
Grambling threatened in the opening frame, loading the bases with two outs on a Johan Mojica single, but Gaither forced a groundout to end the inning. The Tigers once again had a runner 90 feet away with two outs in the third with runners on the corners, but Gaither once again got a groundball to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, DBU found themselves in a similar situation with the bases loaded with two outs, but Wolforth popped one up in foul ground that allowed Grambling to escape the inning.
 
The Patriots put the first runs up on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning on a pair of RBI singles by Jameson Hannah and Matt Duce. DBU extended the lead to 3-0 in the following inning after a pair of balks called against Marlon Pruitt allowed Garrett Wolforth to advance 180 feet and score. Kragen Kechely, who relieved Gaither, carried the shutout through the sixth, seventh and into the eighth, allowing no hits with three strikeouts.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, the Patriots had a chance to add insurance runs with the bases loaded with two outs, but an Austin Listi pop out stranded three men on base. Higgins took over for Kechely in the top of the eighth, setting down all six Grambling State batters he faced.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
 - DBU's bullpen has not allowed an earned run in the last 10.2 IP.
 - Friday marks the second shutout for the Patriots' pitching staff this season.
 - Jameson Hannah recorded his team-leading ninth multi-hit game in the win.
 
COACH DAN HEEFNER – ON RAY GAITHER'S OUTING
"Ray did a very good job for us again. Great start. He wiggled out of a few things. I thought the impressive thing for him, as a freshman in the third start of his college career, was that he didn't have his great changeup, which has been his best pitch. He's got a really good fastball too, but the changeup has been his difference maker, and he didn't quite have that as much today, but he made an adjustment. He threw some really good breaking balls. That's a great sign to see his maturity and that he can make adjustments in-game like that and set that type of tone on Friday night."
 
RAY GAITHER – ON SETTLING IN THE FRIDAY NIGHT ROLE
"I'm just enjoying it. It's kind of surreal just getting to do this at this level. I'm just having fun in the moment."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0 – The DBU pitching staff did not allow an extra-base hit in Friday's affair.
23 – Ray Gaither has 23 strikeouts in 20 IP this season.
21 – The Patriots have scored 21 runs in the fifth inning this season, the most of any inning.
 
UP NEXT
DBU and Grambling State play the second game of the weekend series at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Horner Ballpark. Trevor Conn (1-2) takes the mound for the Patriots against Isaac O'Bear (1-2) for the Tigers.