SAVANNAH, Ga. (April 13) - The Florida A&M Baseball team split doubleheader with Savannah State as the Rattlers won game one, 5-4 in 12 innings and in game two the Tigers blanked the Rattlers, 5-0 here Saturday afternoon at Tiger Baseball Field in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader.
FAMU finished the contest with 11 hits as Marlon Gibbs finished with a team high three hits.
SSU tallied game high 14 hits in the game as Joseph McCrary garnered three hits to lead the Tigers from the plate.
Williams Carrasco (1-5) got the win for the Rattlers as he pitched six inning of relief, allowing six hits, one earned run and striking out four in the 25 batters he faced, while David Duncan got the start for the Rattlers as he gave up eight hits, three earned runs and striking out three in the six innings of work on the mound for FAMU.
Eric Ricks (0-1) received the loss for the Tigers as he gave up two hits, one earned run and striking out one in the three innings of relief for SSU, while Kyle McGowin got the start for the Tigers as he pitched nine innings, allowing nine hits, four earned runs and striking out 16 Rattlers in the 41 batters he faced.
FAMU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, as Marlon Gibbs scored, who tripled to right field to lead off the inning, on a Bennie Robinson single up the middle.
SSU tied the contest at 1-1 on a Joe McCrary single scoring Mendez Elder, who doubled to left center in his at bat, in the bottom of the first inning.
FAMU regained the lead in the top of the second inning as Kelvin Singletary, who doubled to right centers, scored on a Gibbs single, followed by a Scott Sheplak single scoring both Gibbs and Jared Walker, giving the Rattlers a 4-1 lead.
SSU cut FAMU’s lead 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning as Darien Campbell scored on a Todd Hagen single.
The Tigers put another run in the bottom of the sixth as Campbell scored on an Antonio Smith single, cutting the Rattlers’ lead, 4-3.
SSU tied the contest at 4-4 on a Parker Nix single scoring Mendez Elder in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Robinson gave the Rattlers the win in the top of the 12th inning as he scored on a Kendell Weeks sacrifice fly to right field for the 5-4 finale.
Both FAMU and SSU finished with seven hits each.
Peter Jackson led the Rattlers from the plate as he finished with a team high two hits, while McCrary also finished with two hits to lead the Tigers.
Jackson May got the win for SSU in game two as he pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and striking out seven in the 28 batters he faced, while Heath Blackburn received the loss for FAMU as he pitched five innings, allowing seven hits, two earned runs and striking out two in the 25 batters he faced.
SSU took the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as McCrary scored on a Campbell single, back up the middle.
The Tigers added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth as they scored three runs to make the score 4-0 in favor of SSU.
SSU makes the 5-0 in their favor as Todd Hagen scored on an Elder sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the fifth inning, for the finale.
FAMU will return to action on Sunday, April 14 against Savannah State in their final game of their conference series in a 1 p.m. start at Tiger Field.
