NEW ORLEANS, La. – Cage Cox, Joseph Estrada and Carlos Ocasio accounted for seven home runs and nine RBIs as the Alabama State University baseball team cruised to a 16-4 victory and a sweep of Grambling State on Sunday in a non-conference game at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
 
Alabama State (21-20) set a few school records on Sunday, starting with home runs with nine and Cox became the all-time single-season leader in homers in a game with three. The Hornets also pounded out a season-high 19 hits, including 13 extra-base hits.
 
Brandon Caples started on the hill for ASU and lasted just 1.2 innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) on six hits with one walk and one strikeout. Chase Laney (2-1) picked up the win in 7.1 innings of relief. He surrendered one run on five hits with one strikeout and one walk.
 
Alabama State opened the scoring in the top of the first Cox belted a one-out homer to right, the first of three on the day for him, to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.
 
Grambling State tied the game in the bottom of the first, but the Hornets responded with a Hunter Allen home run to left in the second to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Tigers plated two runs in the bottom of the frame and knocked Caples out of the game to grab a 3-2 advantage and their last lead of the afternoon.
 
In the third, Alabama State grabbed the lead for good at 4-3 as Cox, who went 4-for-6, singled to right and scored on Ocasio's homer to right.
 
The Hornets would pick up two more runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the sixth to extend the lead to 8-3.
 
Grambling State picked up a run in the eighth, but Alabama State picked the game away with an eight-run ninth.
 
Cox and Ocasio belted back-to-back homers to begin the frame and Gustavo Rios doubled to left. With one down, Ray Hernandez singled to left to plate Eriq White, who pinch ran for Rios. Allen walked and Edgardo Rivera reached on a fielder's choice as Allen was out at second and Hernandez advanced to third. Dunson followed and smacked his first homer of the season, a three-run shot to left center, to extend the lead.
 
The Hornets weren't done in the inning as Estrada homered to right and was followed by Cox's second homer of the inning, giving Alabama State a commanding 16-4 advantage.
 
Elijah Saunders started for the Tigers and gave up two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. Christian Marquez (0-2) and Devin Washington pitched in relief.