Delaware State scored at least one run in all but one inning, yet came up short in a 14-13 loss to Florida A&M at Soldier Field on Monday.
The make-up contest from an April 12 rain-out marked the MEAC regular season finale for the Hornets. The loss drops DSU to the fourth place in the MEAC standings, while Florida A&M moved into third.
Monday’s contest featured 34 hits, including six home runs. Six players had at least two hits, while five drove in at least two runs for the Rattlers.
The Hornets smacked four homers, including Jarrett Bibb’s MEAC leading 12th of the season. Seven players had two hits for DSU.
Florida A&M opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning. The big blow in the inning was a two-run doubled by Darryl Evans, who was 2-for-4 with three RBI on the day.
Delaware State answered with two runs in the bottom of the fist on run-scoring doubles by Bibb and Jamie Friel.
The Hornets tied the game in the bottom of the second when Chris Kidd led off the inning with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on double by Justin Bittner.
Delaware State took a 4-3 lead Friel when led off the third inning with his sixth homer of the season. Ryne Scheiwe added a run-scoring triple and Ross Babineaux doubled in Scheiwe to give the Hornets a 6-3 lead.
Florida A&M put two runs on the board in the top of the fourth to pull to within 6-5.
The Hornets responded with a run of the their own in the fourth when Ryne Mailen’s two-out double scored Bittner to give DSU a 7-5 lead.
The Rattlers cut Delaware State’s lead to 7-6 when Thaddous McBurrows hit a one-out homer in the top of the fifth.
Delaware State regained a two-run lead when Kidd homered down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth.
Florida A&M appeared to tie the game in the top of the sixth when Chris Fullman led off the inning with a walk and Steve Cunningham followed with a homer to right field. However, Fullman was called out after failing to touch home plate in front of Cunningham’s blast. The sequence resulted in Delaware State holding an 8-7 lead.
The Hornets stretched their lead to 9-7 when Bibb hit a towering blast over the left field screen with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
The Rattlers regained the lead with five runs in the seventh inning. Evans doubled in the first run of the inning to cut DSU’s lead to 9-8. Two batters later, Fullman singled in two runs to give Florida A&M a 10-9 lead. Tim Schalch and Jared Jeffries added run-scoring singles in the inning to stretch FAMU’s lead to 12-9.
Delaware State pulled to within 12-11 when Bittner singled in a run and later scored on a throwing error by Florida A&M reliever Julian Bailey in the last of the seventh inning.
Bailey helped his own caused by singling in two runs in the top of the ninth to give the Rattlers a 14-11 lead.
The Hornets made it a 14-13 game when Jose Sanchez hit a two-run homer with one out in the bottom of the ninth. After a walk to Friel put the potential tying run on base, Bailey retired pinch hitter Wynton Weather on a fielder’s choice and Bibb on a pop out to end the game.
Delaware State will return to action on Friday at Marshall University in Huntington, WV.