Marist wins wild one over A&T
GREENSBORO -- Marist scored nine runs in the top of the ninth to defeat the North Carolina A&T baseball team 14-10 Sunday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium. The two teams combined for 24 runs, 27 hits, nine errors and five lead changes in the game.
Cameron Jergens led the way for A&T by going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Brandon Wilkerson also drove in two runs and had two hits.
The Aggies (13-23) took a 10-9 lead into the ninth thanks to an RBI single to right field by Lester Salcedo. Right-hand reliever Kirby Whicker, who entered the game in the fifth, tried to protect the win for A&T. But Zach Passerelle greeted him with a double to left center to open the inning. A bunt single by Jake Berry and a walk to Joey Aiola loaded the bases for the Red Foxes with no outs. The Aggies then turned to junior RHP Jamal Clark to face Ben Moller. Moller torched a double down the left field line to give the Red Foxes an 11-10 lead.
Pinch-hitter Mark Pagano kept the rally going with a single to center field to score two more runs. When Aggies center fielder Ryan Hill over ran the ball, it allowed Pagano to advance to third. Pagano would eventually score on an RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Nick McQual to secure the Red Foxes' 14th run.
The Aggies did put two runners on in their ninth against RHP Chris Thorsen. But Thorsen got Ernesto Lizardi to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. Whicker (2-1) took the loss why Thorsen (1-0) picked up the win. The Red Foxes (9-23) were led by Passerelle who went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Aiola added three RBI.
A&T is back in action on Tuesday, April 15 when it hosts Campbell at War Memorial Stadium at 6 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.ncataggies.com
Eagles take Game Three from Bethune-Cookman
DURHAM, N.C. – Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, North Carolina Central University scored five unanswered runs the rest of the way as the Eagles took game three from Bethune-Cookman 5-3 on Sunday, April 13 at the Durham Athletic Park to salvage a game in the series and stay in the race for first in the MEAC’s (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Southern Division.
The win puts NCCU at 10-7 overall in conference play, just a half-game behind B-CU, still tied with Florida A&M for second in the South as the Rattlers beat Savannah State 9-8 to win that series and move their record to 10-7 in league action as well.
The Wildcats scored the game’s first runs on a one out two-RBI single by shortstop Shaun McCarty in the top of the second inning, and made it 3-0 on a passed ball that scored Bryant Munoz in the top of the third.
Sunday starter for B-CU, Gabriel Hernandez was cruising through the Eagle lineup allowing just two hits through the first five innings of work. The tables turned in the sixth as the cardiac Eagles awoke.
Senior Zack Lee led off the frame with a single, followed by freshman Carlos Ortiz’s two run home run over the right centerfield wall to make it 3-2. The maroon and gray chased Hernandez from the game and loaded the bases in the sixth, but could not plate another run in the frame.
After getting the bases loaded again in the seventh, the maroon and gray struck again in the eighth. Back-to-back walks to Christian Triplett and James Dey put a runner in scoring position. With one out and the runners on first and second, redshirt junior Eric Kimber laced a hard grounder to left field to tie the game at 3-3 as pinch runner Jacobi Harris slid home safely. After Dey scored on a wild pitch to give the Eagles the 4-3 lead, Lee came back up to the plate and drove in the final run of the game on a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Sophomore hurler Andrew Vernon came on in-relief and earned his fourth save of the year, while senior righty Jacob Russell got the win with his solid 1.1 innings of work to move to 3-4 on the year.
Despite not factoring in the decision, sophomore starter Alex Dandridge put up one his best outings of the year going 6.2 innings with two earned runs along with just six hits and four strikeouts. Dandridge shut the Wildcats down after the third inning surrendering no runs in three hits after B-CU took the early lead.
The first two batters in the Eagle lineup Lee (2-for-4, one run, one RBI) and Ortiz (3-for-4, a home run, two RBI, and a run scored) led the NCCU attack in the win. In fact, Ortiz batted .500 over the weekend (6-for-12) at-the-plate with a home run, a double, a run scored, and four RBI.
NCCU (15-21-1, 10-7 MEAC) returns to the diamond for a midweek rematch against crosstown foe Duke on Wednesday night, April 16 at 6:00 at the Durham Athletic Park.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.bcuathletics.com
Cardwell, Vaas Homer to Lead NSU Over UMES
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Ross Cardwell and Kyle Vaas both hit home runs to help the Norfolk State Baseball team surge past Maryland Eastern Shore 13-3 on Sunday afternoon at Hawk Stadium and win the rubber game of the teams’ weekend series.
It was the second homer in as many days for Cardwell, while Vaas hit his first homer of the year to lead NSU’s season-best 17-hit attack. The Spartans (12-19, 8-6 MEAC), leading 5-3, put the game out of reach with an eight-run top of the ninth to win for the fourth time in six games this year against the Hawks (8-19, 4-8).
NSU scored twice in the top of the first and never trailed. Andre’ Moore, who had a team-high three hits, reached on a bunt single and stole second. After Phillip Berry walked Cardwell, Zach Markel hit an RBI single to score Moore. Cardwell later scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 NSU lead.
UMES got a run back in the bottom of the first as Stephen Bull doubled, went to third on an NSU error and scored on Justin Dattilo’s bases-loaded walk.
That would prove to be UMES’ last run until the seventh as Spartan relievers Cooper Jones, Jeff Di Fulgo, Josh Vales and Devin Hemmerich kept the Hawks at bay. Cardwell extended the lead to 3-1 with a solo homer to right in the fifth.
NSU and the Hawks both scored single runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Markel’s sacrifice fly in the seventh scored Moore, who singled and again stole a base. Joshua James also had a sacrifice fly in the seventh for the Hawks.
Vaas led off the eighth with a solo home run to right, marking the first time this season the Spartans have hit more than one round-tripper in the same game. The Hawks kept it close as Greg Turlik singled in Bull in the bottom of the frame to bring UMES within 5-3.
But the Spartans left no doubt as to the outcome with an eight-run ninth inning. Thirteen men batted in the ninth, with Moore again serving as the catalyst. He led off with a double and Cardwell again drew a walk. Both men moved up a base on Markel’s groundout, and both scored on Mikey Bruno’s single to left, making it 7-3.
Bruno, who entered the game in the bottom of the eighth as a defensive substitution, advanced to third on a Vaas single and scored on a fielder’s choice by Justin Burrell. Cody Ellis tacked on an RBI double and Justin Lee kept things going with a two-RBI triple to left-center.
Pinch hitter Tyon Ore’s RBI single and a run-scoring double off the bat of Markel finished the uprising. NSU had eight hits in the inning.
Moore matched his career high with three hits, which is also a season high for the sophomore outfielder. He scored a career-high four runs and stole two bases. Cardwell, Markel, Vaas, Ellis and Omar Hotusing added two hits apiece. Markel had a team-best three RBI. Eight Spartans had at least one RBI, including Bruno and Lee with two apiece.
Jones (1-3) picked up the win with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and struck out two. Hemmerich earned his fourth save of the year after pitching the final four innings and allowing a pair of runs.
Berry (1-4) was charged with the loss. He gave up three runs in six innings.
The Spartans return home for a 4 p.m. game Tuesday with Longwood.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.umeshawks.com
Ryan Kennedy’s 3-Run Home Run Lifts Florida A&M Over Savannah State
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida A&M (15-20, 10-7 MEAC) scored eight of nine runs with two outs en route to a 9-8 weekend series clinching victory over Savannah State (13-24, 4-11 MEAC) Sunday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field. Ryan Kennedy’s three-run home run in the sixth gave the Rattlers the lead for good while William Carrasco earned his first save of the season.
Marlon Gibbs and Logan Seymour both went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to help pace the Rattler offense. Brandon Fleming (2-3) earned the win while pitching 4.1 innings of middle relief. Fleming gave up two runs on four hits while striking out two Tiger batters. Carrasco worked the final scoreless inning and a third for the save.
Following a two-out single by Zachary Brigham, Brian Miller came in as a pinch runner in the bottom of the ninth for Savannah State representing the tying run at first base. Lee Moore roped a single deep into left field and Miller was going to attempt to score from first. Miller had rounded third base but changed his mind and was thrown out at third as he tried to get back to the base.
Savannah State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Todd Hagen and Hector Benitez recorded back-to-back hits to start the inning and David Richards drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Charles Sikes then grounded into a double play that scored Hagen from third. Benitez later came home on a wild pitch from Montague for the second Tiger run of the inning.
The Tigers added an unearned run, to make the score 3-0, in the third inning on a misplayed ball by Devin Perry at third base that would have ended the inning for the Rattlers.
FAMU took the lead 4-3 as the bats came alive with four hits in the home half of the third inning. Seymour singled to left and Gibbs bunt single put runners on first and second with one out. Both runners advanced a base after a balk from Savannah State starter Zach McCormack and Ryan Kennedy drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Michael Birdsong’s hard hit single to left brought home Seymour and Gibbs , but the ball got past Tiger left fielder Parker Nix allowing Kennedy to score all the way from first. Perry’s RBI single plated Birdsong for the go-ahead run.
Savannah State answered back with three runs in the fourth to regain the lead by a score of 6-4. Nix had the only hit of the inning for the Tigers, an RBI single, that tied the game at 4-4. SSU scored two more unearned runs, courtesy of a pair of Rattler errors, to take the lead.
The Rattlers wouldn’t be denied, scoring four runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, for an 8-6 advantage. The sixth inning was highlighted by Kennedy’s three-run home run, his sixth of the season. FAMU had four hits in the inning as Birdsong, Jeremy Barlow and Taylor Strauss each had singles for the Rattler offense.
Florida A&M added what proved to be an important insurance run in the seventh as Bennie Robinson grounded into a double play, but still scored Seymour for the score of 9-6.
SSU got within one, at 9-8, as they added two more runs in the eighth. Devin McHugh’s RBI groundout plated Lee Moore and Hagen’s RBI single back up the middle scored Nix.
Savannah State’s starter Zach McCormack (2-2) took the loss after giving up eight runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings of work. McCormack struck out two with four walks.
Florida A&M continues its six games in six day stretch as it travels to face Central Florida (22-15, 10-2 AAC) on Tuesday, April 15. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 pm at Jay Bergman Field.
For complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com or www.ssuathletics.com
Hornets sweep series with 15-5 win over Eagles
GLEN BURNIE, Md. --- Delaware State scored 10 unanswered runs to erase an early three-run deficit in a 15-5 win over Coppin State in a MEAC North contest at Joe Cannon Stadium today.
The Hornets swept the three-game series to improve to 18-11 overall and 8-4 in the MEAC.
DSU scored 40 runs and collected 44 hits in the series.
In today's contest, Aaron Nardone was two-for-four with three runs batted in, while Cameron Onderko, Kwestin Smith, Mitchell Moore and Charles Dailey drove in two runs each.
The Hornets trailed 3-0 before scoring four runs in the fifth inning to take the lead.
Delaware State scored its first run in the fifth when Kwestin Smith drew a bases loaded walk. Nardone followed with a two-run single to tie the game at 3-3. The Hornets scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Mike Alexander.
DSU opened up a 5-3 lead when a run scored on a Coppin State balk in the sixth inning.
The Hornets tacked on five runs in the seventh to open up a 10-3 lead. Nardone, Alexander and Ron Farley each singled to load the bases with none out. The next batter, Eddie Sorondo, was hit by a pitch to score Nardone with Delaware State’s sixth run. The bases were still loaded when Moore was hit by a pitch to give the Hornets a 7-3 lead. Onderko had a two-run single and Nardone drew a bases loaded walk to round out the seventh inning scoring.
After Coppin State scored two runs in the last of the seventh to pull to within 10-5, the Hornets put five more on the board in the top of the eighth. The big blow in the inning was Dailey’s two-run triple. Moore and Smith each singled in a run and Farley drew a bases loaded walk to produce a run in the eighth.
The game was called after Coppin State batted in the eighth inning due to the 10-run rule.
Starter George Michael was the winning pitcher for the Hornets. He allowed eight hits and three runs, one earned, while striking three to improve to 3-1 this season.
Coppin State starter Anderson Burgess was tagged with the loss.
The Hornets will return to action on Tuesday at La Salle. Game time is 3 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
Delaware State has also announced changes to next weekend’s home series against UMES. The Hornets and Hawks will play doubleheaders on Friday (Apr. 18) and Saturday (Apr. 19) beginning at 1 p.m. at Soldier Field.
Also, DSU will now play two seven-inning games at the University of Delaware on April 30. The doubleheader will begin at 2 p.m. at UD’s Bob Hannah Stadium.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.coppinstatesports.com