Tallahassee, Fl. (March 30th, 2018) –Coming off a rough non-conference stretch, Florida A&M looked to stay hot in MEAC play this Friday, as they hosted the Eagles of North Carolina Central University for the first of a three-game series.
Ty Russ drove in the first run of the game for the Rattlers in the second inning, scoring Willis McDaniel with a single to right field to give FAMU a 1-0 lead after two innings of play.
FAMU added two runs in the bottom of the third. Jacky Miles drove in Jordan Curtis with a sacrifice fly to left field. John Capra then reached on an error by the third baseman, scoring Dallas Oliver to make the Rattlers’ lead 3-0.
NC Central got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. Evan Holland drove in Timmy Fischvogt with a double to left field to make it a 3-1 game in favor of FAMU.
The Rattlers added to their lead in the bottom of the seventh. Brian Davis walked with the bases loaded, scoring Kaycee Reese to make it a 4-1 lead after seven innings of play.
NC Central cut into the lead in the top of the eighth. After reaching on a hit-by-pitch, Evan Holland later scored on an error by the shortstop, making it a 4-2 game going into the bottom of the eighth.
The Rattlers held onto their lead in the ninth to win the game by a final score of 4-2. Ryan Anderson got his second win of the year after a great start, going 7.1 innings, allowing only two runs (one earned). Jamie Grant closed out the bottom of the eighth, and Dylan Carlson tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his third save of the year.
Chris Kernen was handed his third loss of the year for NC Central, allowing four runs (two earned), through 6 innings of work. Kameron Winburn threw 1.1 innings of relief, while Austin Vernon and Marcus Washburn each recorded an out in the eighth.
The win puts the Rattlers at 12-17 on the year, and 5-2 in MEAC play. FAMU will look to win the series tomorrow, with the first game of a double header starting at 12:00 PM at Moore-Kittles Field.
The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (11-20, 4-0 MEAC) defeated the South Carolina State University (SCSU) Lady Bulldogs (1-13, 1-3 MEAC) in the opening game of their three-game series. FAMU was hitting on all cylinders in their MEAC home opener at the FAMU softball complex. In an unusual sight, FAMU was wearing purple. It was in honor of Lupus Awareness, which the game was marked to celebrate.
“My first assistant coach, Tonya Knight, who played for me and was a FAMU aluma, and she bled orange and green, died of Lupus and this is in dedication to her. One of our players’ moms has Lupus, so we took this opportunity to raise awareness,” FAMU head coach Veronica Wiggins said.
The Lady Rattlers were in full control from the start. The four-time reigning MEAC champs appeared to be reloading for another run in the conference. Two home run blasts and solid pitching signaled that Wiggins’ team is beginning to focus on the MEAC schedule
FAMU pitcher Kyaira Brown retired the Bulldogs in order in the top of the first inning. In the bottom half, Jada Lake led off reaching on an error. Shayla Boyd would put the ball in play and reach on an unsuccessful fielder’s choice. Taylor rosier drove in the first run of the game with a single. Toni Anderson brought the second run across the plate with a sacrifice fly to the outfield. Kyaira Brown singled through the infield to bring in Rosier.
SCSU would get their first runner on base in the top of the second on a FAMU error, but was unable to capitalize as Brown didn’t allow any other runners. SCSU pitcher Jada Lake settled down in the bottom of the second, retiring the Rattlers in order.
Lake would card the Lady Bulldogs’ first hit of the game in the top of the third inning, singling to right field. Bowers would hold the rest of the inning, stranding the runner. Toni Anderson laced a double to the wall, followed by an RBI double by Jamesia Stoudemire, bringing in Edrienne Williams, who was pinch running for Anderson. A runner’s interference call by Stoudemire heading to third base would end the third frame with FAMU taking a 4-0 lead.
Right fielder Alexis Day would extend the lead for the Rattlers in the fourth inning with a solo blast to straightaway centerfield. Rosier singled in Boyd for FAMU’s second score of the inning, making the margin 6-1. In the fifth inning Yuri Hampton got into the acting carding a two-run home
SCSU would get on the board in the top of the fifth. Freshman pitcher LeeAnn Hayeswould give up two hits and eventually walk in the lone score. From there, the freshman from Florida High would show her versatility in her FAMU debut, closing out the final three innings.
The Rattlers and Bulldogs will wrap up their series, tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1PM at the Lady Rattler Softball Complex.
