Freshman Pitch Well in 9-6 Loss to Buffalo

LEXINGTON, Va. - With help from a couple of freshmen pitchers on the defensive end, UMES tried to come back and got the tying run on deck in the ninth but fell short 9-6 to Buffalo to open the VMI Tournament on Saturday.  UMES falls to 1-2 and Buffalo goes to 2-2.

J.P. Black pitched a scoreless eighth to keep the deficit at five.  Though Connor Breslin earned his first career hit with UMES in the ninth, the Hawks had no on and two outs in the ninth.  Wylie and Bull singled to put first and second.  Campbell hit a shot to third that went under the third baseman's leg, scoring Wylie and Bull and putting Campbell on second to make it 9-6.  But the Hawks could not get closer and fell to the Bulls.

Jesus Hernandez got the loss with eight runs and three strikeouts in 2.1 innings thrown.  The UMES freshmen pitchers of Chris Lopez and Black combined to go five-and-two-thirds with just one run allowed.

The win went to Buffalo starter Anthony Magovney, who went six innings with three runs allowed.

Byron Campbell finished the day going 3-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI.  Malik Wylie, Stephen Bull and Brandon Schott all multi-hit, with Wylie getting two runs and the second two each getting an RBI.

For Buffalo, Kyle Figgins went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Scarcello got two hits in five at bats, including a double and two runs batted in.

For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com 

 

NCCU No Longer Unbeaten After 3-2 Setback To Presbyterian

DURHAM, N.C. -North Carolina Central pounded out 12 hits, but left 10 runners stranded, including the potential game-tying run at third base in the ninth inning, as the Eagles suffered their first loss of the season by a score of 3-2 to Presbyterian College at the Durham Athletic Park on Saturday.

NCCU falls to 3-1 on the season, while Presbyterian improves to 2-4.

The Eagles' offense was topped by junior second baseman Dylan Drayton with three hits and an RBI in five plate appearances. Junior left fielder Tyson Simpson and junior shortstop Zach Lee contributed two hits apiece in the loss.

In his second appearance of the season, NCCU senior starting pitcher Michael Romano surrendered just three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk in eight innings of action, but he was credited with the loss.

For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com

Mercer Pushes Past B-CU on Sixth-Inning Rally, 9-4

MACON, Ga. - The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (2-4) led for five innings against the Mercer Bears (4-1) in a twice rescheduled series opener, falling victim to a sixth-inning rally, en route to a 9-4 loss Saturday at Claude Smith Field.

Facing the worst weather conditions of the early season (48 degrees at first pitch), the Wildcats went to work quickly on offensively, as second batter Eros Modena smacked a single up the middle to open a big scoring frame for B-CU, followed up by David Lee reaching base on a 4-0 walk. An Anthony Stokes backside double to outer right field brought in Modena for the first run. Matt Noble made it count, snapping his doubles streak (4) with a line shot single inside third base, sending both Lee and Stokes home for the opening 3-0 lead.

Mercer countered in the bottom of the second with a Derrick Workman RBI, but B-CU starter Ali Simpson finished the frame with minimal damage, holding a 3-1 lead.

Simpson and the Wildcats kept their grip on the lead through three frames, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third, before retiring six consecutive Bears batters. The tie run reached on a throwing error, extending the inning long enough for the Bears to gain an advantage. Meanwhile, Mercer battled at the plate, growing Simpson's pitch count, and forcing the Wildcats to look to the bullpen with two outs and a runner on base.

Entering in relief, Chris Waltermire struggled to close the frame, surrendering three consecutive scoring hits for four unearned runs, ending the inning with a Nick Backlund pop-up to shortstop, trailing 6-3.

The Bears went on to score three additional runs in the seventh and eighth.

Anthony Stokes capped off a big-hitting performance with a first pitch home run beyond the right center wall, giving the Wildcats a chance to battle back, but the Bears retired the final out of the inning with a Wildcats runner in scoring position, the eighth of the game.

MU's Stephen Glaze shut the door in the ninth with a pair of strikeouts to close the 9-4 comeback victory for the Bears.

Workman led the Bears with a 2-of-3 batting performance, topping the team with three RBI. Reliever David Teasley (3-0) earned the win for MU, throwing to two B-CU batters, while starter Brandon Barker collected nine strikeouts.

Stokes led the B-CU effort at the plate, batting 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Simpson completed 5.2 innings for the Wildcats, allowing just one earned run and striking out four Bears batters.

Waltermire (0-1) collected the loss on his 0.1 inning appearance.

For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com