Hornets Sweep Twin-Bill And Series From Hawks
Dover, Del. (Mar. 30, 2013)-Delaware State completed a series sweep of MEAC North rival Maryland Eastern Shore with 12-0 and 17-5 victories at Soldier Field on Saturday. The Hornets have won their last six games to improve 18-7 overall and 9-0 in the MEAC.
In the opener, Ryan Haas (3-for-3) tied his career high with five runs batted in, while Mike Alexander (3-for-4) drove in four.
Elliott Gardner tossed a three-hit shutout to earn the win in game one. Gardner struck out five and walked one to improve to 2-0 this season. It was the second shutout and sixth complete game of his career.
Hassan Evans also knocked in two runs for the Hornets in the opener.
Delaware State opened the game one scoring with five runs in the third inning. Alexander had a two-run double and Haas singled in two in the inning.
The Hornets added three runs in the fifth to open up an 8-0 lead. Evans doubled in two runs, while Alexander singled in the third run of the inning.
Haas doubled in three runs to highlight Delaware State’s four-run sixth. It marked the fourth time in his career that he has driven in five runs in a game. Alexander singled in a run for his fourth RBI of the game.
The game was called after the Hawks batted in the seventh due to the 10-run rule.
In the seven-inning nightcap, Evans was 4-for-4 with a career-high four runs batted in, while Haas, JP Frey and Cameron Cecil knocked in two each for the Hornets. Delaware State had 16 hits in game two.
UMES opened the scoring in the nightcap when Byron Campbell blasted a two-run shot over the centerfield fence in the top of the first inning.
DSU answered with four runs in the bottom of the first. Haas singled in the first two runs, while Evans put the Hornets ahead with a single to score Haas. D.J. Miller stretched the Delaware State lead to 4-2 with a sacrifice fly in the first.
Evans singled in another run in the second inning and Aaron Nardone added a sac fly later in the inning to give the Hornets a 6-2 lead.
The Hawks scored three times in the third to cut the DSU lead to 6-5.
The Hornets scored a run in the third and four in the fourth to stretch their lead to 11-5. Frey had run-scoring hits in the third and fourth innings.
Delaware State blew the game open with six runs in the sixth. Evans drove in his third and fourth runs of the game on a two-double in the sixth.
Haas was 5-for-5 with seven RBI in the doubleheader; and 7-for-9 with nine runs batted in in the series.
Alexander was 4-for-8 in the twin-bill to up his average to .407 this season. He also leads the Hornets with 24 RBI this season.
DSU outscored the Hawks 38-9 during the three-game series.
Delaware State has won 26 of its last 27 MEAC regular season games since the 2012 season.
For the complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.umeshawks.com
Coppin State Splits With Norfolk State
BALTIMORE -- Freshman Jack Kraft went 1-for-3, scored a run and drove in a run helping lead Coppin State to a 9-6 victory over Norfolk State and a split of a MEAC doubleheader on Saturday at Joe Cannon Stadium.
Kraft, who went 2-for-4 in game one, extended his hitting streak to 16 straight games and helped the Eagles salvage one game in the three-game series.
Norfolk State captured the first game 5-4 before the Eagles bounced back to win game two.
Coppin State (6-19, 3-6 MEAC) scored a run in the first and then added three more runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Chris Godfrey started the rally in the second inning with a base hit and Kraft followed with a single to advance Godfrey to second.
Following a sacrifice bunt by Jay Maletz, Daniel McCrea delivered an RBI double that scored Godfrey extending the CSU lead to 2-0.
Mike Wright hit an RBI single to right that scored Kraft and Chris Kashangaki capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center that scored McCrea giving the Eagles a 4-0 lead.
Norfolk State (9-17, 4-5 MEAC) rallied to tie the game by scoring four runs in the top of the third inning.
The Eagles took control of the game by scoring four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Wright was hit by a pitch to begin the inning and Dower walked one out later and David Hamlett loaded the bases with a sharp single to right.
Alex Brown forced in a run when he drew a walk, which scored Wright and gave the Eagles the lead for good at 5-4.
Godfrey reached on a Norfolk State fielding error, which allowed Dower to score to push the lead to 6-4.
Kraft then drew a walk scoring Hamlett to increase the lead to 7-4 and Brown capped the inning when he scored from third on a wild pitch.
Norfolk State cut the lead to 9-6 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning, but Michael Roberts worked a scoreless 1.2 to earn his second save of the season.
Will Grebenstein earned the victory for Coppin State, which marked his first career win at CSU.
Dalton Cozart, Hamlett and Kraft each had two hits for Coppin State in the opener, while Kashangaki, Brown, Godfrey, Maletz, Zach Hawk and Colin Dower each picked up a base hit.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Rattlers get second win of the season with 3-2 over North Carolina A&T
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 30)-Florida A&M picked up their second win of the season as the Rattlers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 3-2 victory over North Carolina A&T, Saturday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field, in their second game of a MEAC doubleheader. In game one, the Aggies routed the Rattlers, 12-3.
FAMU (2-26, 2-9 MEAC) finished game two with eight hits as Reginald Grant, Jared Walker and Scott Sheplak, all finished with two hits each to lead the Rattlers.
NCA&T (8-18, 4-6 MEAC) was paced by Kelvin Freeman as he garnered two of the Aggies three hits.
Heath Blackburn (1-6) picked up his first win of the season for FAMU as he pitched seven complete innings, allowing three hits and striking out five in the 26 batters he faced, while Josh Ganus (3-3) pitched six and two-third innings, allowing eight hits, one earned run and striking out four in the 31 batters he faced.
Sheplak got his first RBI of the game as he singled to left center scoring Jared Walker, giving the Rattlers a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
Kelvin Freeman regained the lead for the Aggies in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer to left field.
FAMU tied the game at 2-2 on a Robinson fielder’s choice scoring Brandon Parker. Sheplak would then record his second RBI of the game on a base hit single up the middle scoring Grant for the 3-2 win.
In the first game, A&T finished with a game high 10 hits, while FAMU tallied nine hits in the contest.
Robinson and Kelvin Singletary led FAMU from the plate as Robinson finished with three hits and Singletary with two.
The Aggies had three batters to finish with two hits each for A&T.
Brent Moore (3-4) got the win for the Aggies as he pitched seven inning, allowing eight hits, two earned runs and striking out four in the 30 batters he faced, while David Duncan (0-6) received the loss for the Rattlers as he pitched five innings, allowing four hits, three earned runs and striking out two in the 24 batters he faced.
A&T took a 5-0 lead into the sixth inning.
FAMU scored their first run of the game on a Justin Abney homer to left field, cutting A&T’s lead to 5-1.
The Aggies picked a run in the top of the seventh inning as Dylan Hipp scored on Cameron sacrifice fly t to right field, giving A&T a 6-1 lead.
FAMU scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the eight as Robinson led off the inning with a solo homer to right field, followed by a Michael Birdsong bases loaded walk scoring Singletary, cutting the Aggies’ lead to 6-3.
A&T would answer in the top of the ninth inning as they scored six runs in the inning for the 12-3 finale.
For the complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com or www.ncataggies.com
NCCU Misses Opportunities In 5-1 Loss To East Carolina
DURHAM, N.C. – In the return match of the home-and-home series against East Carolina, North Carolina Central grounded into four double plays and left 10 runners on the base paths as the Pirates cruised to the 5-1 win on Saturday afternoon at the Durham Athletic Park to take both games from the Eagles.
After a 1-2-3 top of the first, NCCU put Pirate starter David Lucroy in a tough spot by recording back-to-back singles by Akeem Hood and Zach Lee to put runners at first and second with no outs. After a Luis Diaz fly out junior third baseman Troy Marrow got plunked for the 20th time this season to loaded the bases with one out. That’s when junior catcher Carter Williamson hit into the first of four double plays in four straight innings for the maroon and gray.
ECU struck first in the top of the second as Zach Houchins picked up where he left off on Friday with a single to left field, followed up by a Drew Reynolds bunt single down the third base line. After Chase McDonald flew out to centerfield, left fielder Ben Fultz drilled a double to right center field to score the first two runs of the game for the Pirates, giving them the 2-0 lead. Second baseman Bryan Bass singled to right field, but a Ronald Thompson error allowed Fultz to score from second and give East Carolina the 3-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Eagles had the Pirates on the ropes with three straight walks to start the frame, forcing ECU head coach Billy Goodwin to pull Lucroy from the game. After Brett Mabry struck out Ryan Collins, Hood ripped an RBI single to right center field scoring Spencer Franceshetti to score the first run for NCCU on the day. With the momentum clearly on the side of the maroon and gray, Lee grounded into the second straight double play to bail the purple and gold out of the threat as NCCU trailed 3-1 after two.
After a scoreless top of the third for ECU, Diaz reached base on a bunt single down to third base, but Marrow grounded into the third twin killing of the day to destroy any positive momentum for NCCU.
ECU plated a run in the fourth and fifth to take a commanding 5-1 lead over the maroon and gray, but the Eagles’ frustrations continued in the fourth as Thompson led off the frame with a single through the right side, which was followed up with the fourth and final double play of the afternoon to keep NCCU off the scoreboard.
Throughout the remainder of the game, the Eagles put runners in scoring position only twice when a runner reached second in the seventh, and in the eighth, but the combined efforts of Glenn Frye and Jake Russell along with the solid defensive play by the maroon and gray slowed the Pirate bats down as ECU went scoreless after the fifth inning.
East Carolina held NCCU at bay to take the game 5-1. With the win, the Pirates (14-14) are now 5-0 all-time against the Eagles.
Despite recording only one hit on Friday, NCCU racked up nine hits on Saturday, with Hood leading the way with a 3-for-5 effort at-the-plate with an RBI. In fact, the top three hitters in the maroon and gray lineup recorded a combined six hits (Hood-3, Lee-2, Diaz-1).
In the loss, Frye (3-2) gave up four earned runs while surrendering just nine hits to the potent Pirate lineup. His two strikeouts gives him 183 in his career.
Mabry (1-1) saved the day for ECU (14-14) going 5.2 innings allowing only five hits with three strikeouts to earn his first win of the season, while heralded starter Lucroy lasted 1.0 inning allowed one run on two hits with three walks.
For the complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Baseball News: Savannah State Drops Bethune-Cookman in Series-Opening Doubleheader
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (13-16, 6-5 MEAC) dropped the series opening doubleheader with the Savannah State Tigers on Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, falling by scores of 14-4 and 3-2.
In the series opener, Savannah State used big innings to push past the Wildcats after B-CU missed on opportunities to score, despite keeping pace with the Tigers in hitting throughout the game.
The Wildcats entered the scorebook first, with Josh Johnson connecting on a leadoff single, was sacrificed to second and wheeled third on David Lee’s backside RBI single, beating the throw at the plate.
The Tigers tied it up and went ahead briefly in the top of the second, using a leadoff walk to score on Antonio Scott’s groundout for SSU’s first run, taking the lead on Todd Hagen’s single to left field.
The Wildcats were quick to match SSU’s effort, as Shaun McCarty reached on an error with two outs, advanced on Johnson’s single, and crossed the plate on a Brandon Turner RBI single to center. Retaking the lead at 3-2, Eros Modena cracked a 2-2-count RBI single through the left gap.
Four consecutive base hits in the top of the fourth, coupled with a wild pitch and an RBI double allowed SSU to take a 6-3 lead on the Wildcats. The Tigers tacked on an additional pair in the top of the sixth with one runner scoring on a sacrifice fly and another on the throw.
SSU shut the door in the top of the ninth with a big inning, putting up six runs to blow the game open to a 14-3 lead.
The Wildcats kept pushing in the home half of the inning, with McCarty leading off with a double to left center, and came home on a line drive to third from Modena.
McGowin (7-0) earned the win, throwing eight frames with nine strikeouts, while allowing now walks. The Wildcats put up 11 hits, compared with 15 for the Tigers.
In the second game of the doubleheader, B-CU jumped out to an early lead after three frames in a low-scoring affair, knotting up the score in the second inning in response to the Tigers’ first inning score. Anthony Stokes’ leadoff single to center set the table for the tie, using Chris Biocic’s full-count double deep down the left field line to plate the run.
However, an on-field dust-up on a stolen base play in the top of the third led to ejection of three players; Mendez Elder and Jason Wynn for Savannah State, and Stokes for B-CU.
Modena gave B-CU its first lead of the game, taking an 0-2 pitch yard in left to put B-CU up 2-1. The longball hit was Modena’s first DI career homer.
Making his second-longest appearance of the season, starter Scott Garner held the Tigers to just a single earned run through the sixth. Leadoff batter, Scott, reached on a fielding error and was sacrificed to second before B-CU closer Jordan Dailey took over from the bullpen. Scott stole third and came home for the eventual winning run on a pickoff error on the play.
Back-to-back singles to open the bottom of the ninth followed by an intentional walk loaded the bases for the Wildcats, but Bethune-Cookman failed to capitalize on the scoring opportunity, falling to SSU in a 3-2 loss.
Despite the loss, Garner (2-4) had a solid outing, throwing 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run and one walk, while striking out five.
For the complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com or www.ssuathletics.com