First the Southern baseball team got blown out, then it got washed out.

The Jaguars fell behind early against archfoe Grambling and got routed 19-4 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader shortened to eight innings by the mercy rule. The second game was postponed until a later time and place because of stormy weather including multiple lightning strikes and a deluge.

Assistant athletic director in charge of communications Rodney Kirschner said the teams will attempt to continue the series — the last one in the Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule — at 2 p.m. at Southern Friday.

It was all Grambling (21-25, 18-8 in SWAC play) as the visitors jumped to a 7-2 lead and poured it on with seven runs in the eighth. Grambling first baseman Ashton Inman drove in seven runs with three hits, including his fourth home run of the season. Kyle Walker also had three hits, including a two-run homer and Demarckus Smiley and Terry Burrell each hit two-run doubles.

Mason Martinez (10-2) pitched a complete game victory for the Tigers, allowing six hits, two earned runs and striking out two.

Dylan Jones had three hits with an RBI for Southern while Ryan Ollison and KJ White also had run-scoring singles. Southern starting pitcher Ranard Grace was roughed up for 11 hits in 3 ⅓ innings, the first of four Jaguar pitchers.

The Tigers are in a battle for first place in the SWAC West Division with Texas Southern which began the day one game in front of Grambling at 17-6. Texas Southern is playing host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-19) in a three game series in Houston.

Grambling jumped on Grace (6-3) on Inman’s two-run homer in the first innings. Southern answered with a pair of unearned runs on base hits by Olliso and Dylan Jones. Inman drilled a two-run single in the second inning to give the Tigers the lead for good.

Burrell hit a two-run double in a three-run third innings and Grace was pulled after one out in the top of the fourth inning.

Martinez gave up two runs in the fourth but retired 12 of the next 14 batters. Southern could manage only one hit after the fifth inning.

The Jaguars (22-27, 15-12) have been eliminated from the division race but still have a chance to move up into third place in the division and gain better seeding for next week’s SWAC tournament.