DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Florida A&M Baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Bethune-Cookman as the Wildcats pulled out an 8-6 win in game one and blanked the Rattlers in game two 7-0, here Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ball Park in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader.
FAMU (0-10, 0-2 MEAC) was paced by Garrett Johnson and Marlon Gibbs as they both finished with two hits each for the Rattlers.
B-CU (5-6, 2-0 MEAC) finished the contest with three hits as Josh Johnson, Matt Noble and Chris Biocic finished with one hit apiece for the Wildcats.
Jordan Dailey (1-0) picked up the win for B-CU as he pitched two and two-third innings in relief, allowing one hit and striking out three in the 11 batters he faced, while Ali Simpson started the contest for the Wildcats as he pitched five and two-third inning, giving up one hit, four earned runs and striking out three.
Stephen Dollar (0-1) received the loss for FAMU as he pitched one and one-third innings in relief allowing one hit and walking two in the nine batters he faced, while David Duncan toed the mound as the Rattler starter, giving up two hits, one earned runs and striking out one in six and one-third innings of work.
B-CU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Anthony Stokes scored on a Matt Noble ground out to the shortstop.
The Wildcats would increase their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth as they plated four runs in the inning.
FAMU cut B-CU’s lead to 5-4 in the top of the sixth inning as Gibbs scored on a bases loaded walk, followed by a Kendall Weeks fielder’s choice scoring Jared Walker. Then a Johnson single would score both Weeks and Bennie Robinson.
The Rattlers took the lead in the top of the seventh as Gibbs led off the inning with a double to left field. He would then score on a Walker to single to left field, followed by a Weeks ground out to second base scoring Walker, giving FAMU a 6-5 lead.
B-CU regained the lead and held on for the win in the bottom of the eighth inning as Eric Sams scored on a FAMU infielder’s error, followed by a P.J. Biocic single scoring Noble. Then Shaun McCarty would score on a passed ball for the 8-6 finale.
Game two, FAMU finished the contest with four hits as four Rattler batters finished with one hit each, while B-CU tallied nine hits in the contest with Josh Johnson, Anthony Stokes and Matt Noble finished with two hits each for the Wildcats.
Scott Garner picked the win for the B-CU as he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out three in the 26 batters he faced, while Heath Blackburn took the loss, giving up six hits, four earned runs and striking out two in five innings of work.
B-CU plated four runs in the first and tallied three runs in the sixth inning for the 7-0 finale.
FAMU will conclude their three-game series against B-CU on Sunday, March 3 in a 1 p.m. start at Jackie Robinson Park.
