Spartans Win 4th in a Row, Top NCCU 8-4
NORFOLK, Va. - Chase Kyriacou, Cameron Day and Chris Warren tallied three hits apiece to lead host Norfolk State to its fourth straight win, 8-4, over North Carolina Central on Tuesday afternoon.
The Spartans (15-21) recorded 13 hits, their sixth straight game with at least 10. Three Spartan pitchers, meanwhile, combined to limit the Eagles (13-28) to four hits while striking out 12.
Mikey Bruno walked and scored on Day's two-out infield single in the bottom of the first to account for the game's first run. But the Eagles took advantage of three walks by Spartan starter Horace Smith and an RBI groundout by Carter Williamson to tie the score at 1-all in the top of the third.
The Spartans answered back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the third, and they never looked back. Bruno lined a two-run triple into the right-field corner to score Justin Lee and Kyriacou, who both singled. Bruno then scored on Day's second RBI single of the day to give NSU a 4-1 lead.
The Eagles rallied to within 4-3 in the top of the fourth. Two more walks from Smith started the inning, and Alex Moore reached base on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Dylan Drayton's sacrifice fly plated Michael Romano to bring NCCU within 4-2. Luis Diaz then followed with an RBI single that scored Deion Doubledee to cut NSU's lead to one. Diaz's hit was the first and only hit off Smith, who pitched the first four innings.
Kyriacou singled in runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to give the Spartans some breathing room, while NSU reliever Richie Salter (3-0) held NCCU to a single run in three innings of relief work.
Lee added a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, and Warren scored later on the same putout thanks to an Eagle error to extend the NSU edge to 8-4.
Jordan Egan pitched two hitless, scoreless innings of work for his second save of the year. He fanned three. Salter picked up the win, allowing three hits and one run while striking out four in his three innings of work. Smith added five strikeouts in his four frames.
Ruben Rios (1-3) took the loss for the Eagles, allowing 13 hits and eight runs (seven earned) in 7.1 innings.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.nccueaglepride.com
UMES Edged By George Washington 9-6
ARLINGTON, Va. - Despite multi-hit days from five Hawks and the Maroon and Grey outhitting their opponent, UMES fell just short in the mid-week non-conference matchup against George Washington, falling 9-6 at Bancroft Park. UMES falls to 9-32 while GW goes to 16-25.
The Colonials struck early in the bottom of the first. Derek Brown led off with a triple off UMES starter Karim Gonzalez (1-5) to right, scoring on the next at bat after a Justin Albright sacrifice fly for a 1-0 GW lead.
UMES got the run back in the next half inning. With two outs and nobody out, Joshua James singled to center against GW starting pitcher J.T. Wauford (4-3). Shaquille Bagwell reached on a bunt single to put first and second. Next batter, Stephen Bull (Millsboro, Del.) reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing James to score to tie the game. Byron Campbell (Waldorf, Md.) hit an infield single to third to reach base for the 34th straight game, but UMES did not score another run in the inning.
GW retook the lead in the following half-frame. After Ryan Hickey singled and stole second, he scored on the next batter off a Jimmy Best single to right, putting the home team up 2-1.
The back and forth battle continued in the third. James Newsome (Mechanicsville, Md.) led off with a double followed by a Malik Wylie walk to put first and second. Three batters later, James hit safely for the second straight time, singling up the middle to score Newsome. Bagwell followed with an infield single, bringing home Wylie to give UMES the lead 3-2.
The Colonials responded in a big way in the bottom of the third. Albright reached on an error by the shortstop, scoring two batters later off a Stephen Oswald double to the right-center gap. After Owen Beightol singled to put runners on the corners, Gonzalez struck out Ryan Hickey for the second out. Unfortunately it was not enough Best hit a three-run home run, followed by a Grant Brown solo homer, giving the Colonials a 7-3 advantage.
UMES responded strongly in the top of the fourth, starting with an infield single by Campbell and subsequent advance to second on an error by the shortstop. Newsome doubled to right-center to bring in Campbell. Wylie singled two batters later to put runners on first and third. With Zach Townsend (Salisbury, Md.) up at the plate with two outs, a Wauford wild pitch allowed Newsome to score, giving the Hawks their second run of the inning and pulling them within three.
After GW got a run back with a Beightol RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, UMES returned the deficit to two in the fifth. After Bagwell reached after being hit by a pitch, he went to second on a wild pitch, to third on a Campbell single and finally to home plate on another wild pitch, pulling UMES within two at 8-6.
But that is as close as UMES got. Albright took over on the mound for the Colonials, and after Best hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth, GW held its lead through the rest of the game to win 9-6.
Gonzalez got the loss after pitching 2.2 innings, allowing seven runs, just four earned, with a pair of strikeouts. Alex Welch had a strong relief outing, going four-and-a-third with just two runs allowed, and Bernard Parker pitched a scoreless eighth.
Wauford had the win after throwing five innings in his start, allowing six runs, four of them earned, with a trio of strikeouts. Albright picked up his first save of the year after pitching the final four innings, not allowing a run.
Campbell, increasing his hitting streak to eight games on Tuesday, and Tre-von Johnson each went 3-for-5 with a run scored, with the ladder adding an RBI. From the eight and nine spots of the order, James and Bagwell each got two hits, scored a run and brought home another.
Including his home run, Best drove in five runs on a 3-for-4 day, including a walk. Beightol was 2-for-5, including a run and RBI.
For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Bethune-Cookman Rally Falls Short in 9-8 Stetson Loss
DeLAND, Fla. - The Wildcats pushed it to the final at-bat in working to overcome early miscues, Tuesday night versus Stetson at Melching Field, but fell short in the late-game rally against the Hatters. Driven by Brashad Johnson's four RBI, B-CU came storming back late in the outing, but ultimately fell to Stetson 9-8.
After opening the initial frame with a pair of strikeouts, starter Ali Simpson's (1-1) perfect ERA was busted, as Stetson scored in the second on a wild pitch, opening the gates for a seven-run frame for the Hatters, capped by a three-run single to the center field warning track for third baseman Ben Carhart.
After sharing the burden with Simpson in the second, reliever Scott Garner put the clamps to the Hatters, holding Stetson to three hits with no runs for four innings.
With the Hatters on hold, the Wildcats began to generate some offense, converting three straight singles through the left side gap for a score as B. Johnson's RBI single to shallow left field batted in Brandon Turner.
After going scoreless through three, the 'Cats opened freed the bats again in the seventh, led off by an Alejandro Sanchez single. A drifting RBI single to right by Jairo Acevedo kept the order alive to set up for B. Johnson's two-run single through the interior into left center, dropping the deficit to three.
Stetson rebuilt the gap a little with a sacrifice fly and a runner claiming home plate to beat out a rundown between first and second for the final out of the seventh.
In familiar fashion, the Wildcats came on strong as crunch-time began to set in, showing patience in their approaches to reach base on balls against errant throws from the mound, facing the fourth and then fifth Stetson relief pitchers. With the bases loaded on walks, Turner fired a single right back at the pitcher, who deflected it into the dirt, allowing Nick Johnson to score.
B. Johnson led the Wildcats with a 3-4 performance and four RBI, aided by Turner, who went 3-5, scoring three runs and batting in another. The pair led a 12-hit B-CU charge that topped the Hatters' 11 base hits.
The Wildcats (24-17) continue regional midweek games on Wednesday, traveling to Gainesville to face #2 Florida (31-10) at McKethan Stadium. The Gators fell in a 5-3 decision in tonight's game with USF at home. When these teams faced off in game four, the Wildcats gave UF a serious run, leading as late at the seventh inning before an 8-6 decision to the Gators.
For the complete story, visit www.b-cuathletics.com