NORFOLK, Va. – Florida A&M (25-24, 14-10 MEAC) opened the MEAC Baseball Tournament with a 10-0, mercy rule game, win over Coppin State (11-33, 9-15 MEAC) on Wednesday evening at Marty L. Miller Field on the campus of Norfolk State University.
Kendal Weeks pitched five shutout innings for the win, while scattering four hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Ryan Kennedy paced the FAMU offense going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, while Marlon Gibbs was 3-for-4 on the night.
The win was the first MEAC Tournament win for the Rattlers, five years to the day, since they defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 12-2 back on May 14, 2009.
FAMU jumped out to a 6-0 lead as the first six batters reached base in the first inning. The Rattlers chased Eagles starter Jhar Devilme from the game in the first inning as he threw 41 pitches in the opening frame. Devilme allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits and walked four batters in the inning. Kennedy put the Rattlers on the board as he roped a two-run double into the left center gap for an early 2-0 lead. Three more runs were walked in with the bases loaded and another run scored as Devin Perry reached on a fielder’s choice. Coppin State pitchers combined to throw 58 pitches in the first.
The Rattlers added a single run in the third, to make the score 7-0, on Bennie Robinson’s RBI single that scored Jared Walker from first on a hit and run.
Coppin State’s first scoring opportunity came in the fifth inning. Bryant Miranda singled to left to lead off the fifth inning and after a pair of fielder’s choice outs, Colin Dower singled through the right side putting runners at first and second. Jeffrey Fitch followed with an infield single to load the bases before Weeks sent John Walls down swinging to strand the bags full and kept the Eagles off the board.
Florida A&M increased its lead to 8-0 in the fifth. Walker led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left and took second as Robinson grounded out to the pitcher. Gibbs walked to place runners on first and second as Kennedy followed with an RBI single into left center.
Matthew Schaeffer came into pitch for FAMU in the sixth and walked Jack Kraft to open the inning. Schaeffer struck out David Hamlett for the first out before pinch hitter Jonathan Calvin infield single put runners on the corners. Miranda Bryant struck out and Chris Godfrey grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
FAMU pushed its lead to 9-0 with a run in the seventh.
CSU loaded the bases in the eighth but failed to score. Kraft and Hamlet drew back-to-back walks to start the inning off reliever Cameron Sims. Both runners moved up a base as Bryant grounded out to second and Godfrey was hit-by-pitch to load the bases, but William Brown flew out to left for the third out.
Rattler pinch hitter Tevin Covington doubled home Ryan Hutson in the bottom of the eighth for the final score of 10-0 in a run rule called game.
CSU starter Jhar Devilme (3-4) suffered the loss.
Florida A&M will face Savannah State (21-29) in round two of the winner’s bracket at the MEAC Tournament on Thursday at 4:00 pm.