SALISBURY, Md. – Bethune-Cookman won the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Baseball Tournament championship on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory over Norfolk State at the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.
The Wildcats (29-25) clinched and posted an undefeated mark throughout the double-elimination tournament.
The championship is the first for Bethune-Cookman since 2014 and 18th overall.
Wildcats head coach Jason Beverlin was named the tournament’s Outstanding Coach, while Bethune-Cookman first baseman Danny Rodriguez was selected the Outstanding Performer.
“We came into the tournament extremely focused and played every game with a lot of energy,” Beverlin said. “We just didn’t let anything stand in the way of our goal of winning the MEAC championship.”
In a scoreless game in the sixth inning, Bethune-Cookman loaded the bases with one out, but Norfolk State starter Matt Outman got two strikeouts to end the Wildcat threat.
The game remained tied at 0-0 until the bottom of the eighth as Jameel Edney belted his seventh homer of the season over the left field wall to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage.
Bethune-Cookman pitchers Tyler Norris and Alex Seibold (6-4) combined for a one-hitter, with nine strikeouts and six walks.
Norfolk State’s Roger Hall broke up the combined no-hit bid with a base hit in the top of the ninth.
Rodriguez and Edney paced the Wildcat offense with two hits each.
Bethune-Cookman, which earned the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Regionals, awaits its opponent that will be announced during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show Monday, May 30 at Noon on ESPNU.
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2016 MEAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
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Game 1 – Bethune-Cookman 10, Coppin State 0
Game 2 – North Carolina Central 10, Delaware State 5
Game 3 – Coppin State 15, Delaware State 4 (Delaware State eliminated)
Game 4 – Florida A&M 10, North Carolina Central 2
Game 5 – Bethune-Cookman 14, Norfolk State 4
Game 6 – Coppin State 7, North Carolina Central 5 (North Carolina Central eliminated)
Game 7 – Bethune-Cookman 5, Florida A&M 2
Game 8 – Norfolk State 7, Coppin State 6 (Coppin State eliminated)
Game 9 – Norfolk State 4, Florida A&M 2 (Florida A&M eliminated)
Game 10 – Bethune-Cookman 1, Norfolk State 0
(Bethune-Cookman wins 2016 MEAC Baseball Championship)
2016 MEAC All-Tournament Team
Outstanding Performer: Danny Rodriguez, Bethune-Cookman
Outstanding Coach: Jason Beverlin, Bethune-Cookman
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Nathan Bond
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Bethune-Cookman University
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Jameel Edney
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Bethune-Cookman University
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Tyler Norris
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Bethune-Cookman University
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Danny Rodriguez
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Bethune-Cookman University
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Bryant Miranda
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Coppin State University
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Darien Percell
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Coppin State University
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Brian Davis
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Florida A&M University
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Dylan Dillard
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Florida A&M University
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Brian Beard
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Norfolk State University
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Roger Hall
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Norfolk State University
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Devin Hemmerich
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Norfolk State University
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Michael Parmentier
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Norfolk State University
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