Robinson goes 3-for-4 with a double in FAMU loss
ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida A&M (15-21, 10-7 MEAC) rallied early but fell to UCF (23-15, 10-2 AAC) 11-4 in a mid-week game at the UCF Baseball Complex in Orlando. Bennie Robinson went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored for the Rattler offense while Matthew Schaeffer (0-2) suffered the loss.
Schaeffer started and pitched three innings, giving up six runs with three walks and one strikeout. Ryan Hutson also went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
The Knights opened the game with three straight hits including a three-run home run from James Vasquez for the quick 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Florida A&M continued its recent trend of scoring with two outs with a pair of runs in the second inning, making the score 3-2. Hutson’s two-out RBI double scored Kendal Weeks from first and Logan Seymour followed with an RBI single to plate Hutson for the second run of the inning.
The Rattlers tied the game at 3-3 on Ryan Kennedy’s sac fly in the third. Robinson led off the third for FAMU with a single to right. After stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error by the Central Florida catcher, Kennedy’s sac fly brought home Robinson for the tying run.
UCF regained the lead with two runs in the third at 5-3. Matt Diorio smacked an RBI triple off the right field wall and later scored on a sac fly from Sam Tolleson.
Central Florida added a run in the fourth to make the score 6-4, but a five-run seventh pushed the game out of reach for FAMU at 11-3.
Florida A&M used three straight walks with one out to load the bases eighth. Seymour drew a bases loaded walk to plate Peter Jackson for what proved to be the final margin of 11-4.
Central Florida reliever Robby Howell (1-1) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the win.
Florida A&M returns home to Moore-Kittles Field for a pair of mid-week games against Alabama State (28-13, 16-2 SWAC) on Wednesday and Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Wednesday, April 16 and 2:00 pm on Thursday, April 17.
For complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com
Bethune-Cookman Underclass Hurlers Struggle in 12-1 Loss at North Florida
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The North Florida Ospreys (16-21) got the bats going early against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats’ (19-21) underclassmen pitchers, carrying the momentum into a 12-1 win on Tuesday night at Harmon Stadium.
Right fielder Drew Weeks was a thorn in the Wildcats’ side early in the game, putting two home runs beyond the right field wall in each of the first two innings, putting up four runs on the board for UNF.
In the next frame, the Ospreys extended the lead on RBI for Alex Merritt, Garrick Ferguson and James Abbatinozzi, pushing out to a 7-0 advantage, while holding the Wildcats to just one hit through the first three.
The Wildcats got on the board in the top of the fifth, as a pair of UNF errors in the middle infield allowed B-CU runners in scoring position. Left fielder Jake Welch capitalized, bringing catcher Zach Olszewski in from second on a hard-hit RBI single up the middle, narrowing the UNF advantage to 7-1.
After G. Ferguson reached on a fielder’s choice to open the bottom of the fifth, Abbatinozzi reclaimed the run for UNF, pushing an RBI single through the middle infield for an 8-1 UNF lead.
Relieving left-handed starter Riley O’Brien in the third, right-hander Byron Ferguson settled down the scoring situation for a pair of innings, but allowed three consecutive singles in the sixth before yielding to right-hander Michael Thomasson, who held the mound to the ninth.
The Ospreys put up four runs in the sixth, but Thomasson got UNF under control in the seventh and eighth, yielding to Logan Blum in the final inning.
The Ospreys put up 17 hits, while limiting the Wildcats to just three.
O’Brien (0-3) takes the loss for the Wildcats, allowing seven runs. For UNF, first reliever Tyler DuPont (2-1) earns the win, throwing two innings without a hit or run allowed.
The Wildcats return to the field in North Carolina this weekend, taking on three-game series at North Carolina A&T on Friday and Saturday.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com