DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Senior right-hander Tyler Norris went six strong innings on the mound in earning the decision Friday evening as Bethune-Cookman collected a 17-4 series opening win over visiting Milwaukee at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The victory was the first of its kind at home in the young career of first-year acting head coach Barrett Shaft.
 
After falling behind 1-0 in the opening frame, Bethune-Cookman (2-4) rallied to knot the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning.
 
Zach Spivey's sacrifice fly to right allowed Nate Sterijevski to score from third, after the junior shortstop reached in his at-bat earlier on a single to left – advancing to third on an error charged to the Milwaukee infield.
 
BCU would strike for a pair of runs to take a 3-1 lead in the home-half of the third.
 
Kyle Corbin led things off with a single, followed two plays later by Giovany Lorenzo's two-run double to right center, scoring Corbin and Danny Rodriguez who was hit by a pitch in his at-bat a play earlier.
 
Corbin's RBI ground out in the fourth scored Spivey for the 4-1 Wildcats advantage.
 
Milwaukee (1-4) pulled a run back in the top of the fifth off the end of shortstop Trevor Schwecke's RBI double past the outstretched glove of Jameel Edney at third. That plated the Panthers Joe Vyskocil to cut into the BCU lead, 4-2.
 
The Maroon and Gold would counter with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning when Corbin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Adonis Lao to score. The second run was added when first baseman Danny Rodriguez singled to second, advancing Spivey home for the score.
 
Bethune-Cookman led 6-2 after five innings.
 
The Wildcats stretched the lead at 8-2 in the sixth inning as Joseph Fernando kicked things off with a leadoff double, only to be scored off the end of Lao's RBI single to left field. After being walked in his at-bat, Sterijevski would later score on a wild pitch from Milwaukee reliever John Moynihan.
 
However, the biggest inning of the game came in the bottom of the eighth when the homestanding Wildcats added nine runs to the board, aided by two Panthers errors, as BCU sent 13 batters to the plate.
 
The big turning point of the frame was a fielding error charged to Panthers second baseman Mike Ferri when he tried to cut down Sterijevski from advancing to second on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Lao. That play allowed Jordan Stacy to score after the FSC Jacksonville product reached to start the BCU at-bat with a single to right field.
 
Spivey followed with a RBI single to right, and it was team captain Jameel Edney reaching safely on an error charged to Milwaukee third baseman Ben Chally, allowing Lao to score on the play. After Danny Rodriguez was walked to load the bases, Lorenzo lifted a sacrifice fly to left that crossed Spivey from third.
 
Fernando collected a RBI double to left that scored Edney, while Stacy's second at-bat of the inning produced a run-scoring single through the left side to plate Rodriguez. Sterijevski delivered a RBI double down the line in left before Milwaukee went to Mitch Buban in the pen, as BCU was dialed in on reliever Jack Mahoney at that point.
 
Buban would allow a hit, but nothing else, as he closed down the inning for the Panthers on the bump.
 
BCU went to sophomore Brady Norris out of the bullpen to close the game in the top of the ninth.
 
After Jack Kraus was walked, pinch hitter Zach Nogalski registered the second home run of the game for the Panthers with a two-run shot clear the wall in left field. That produced the final 17-4 margin as Brady, younger brother of starting pitcher Tyler, closed the door with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out – sealing the first home win of the year for the Maroon and Gold.
 
In taking the start, Tyler Norris earned the win to even his record at 1-1 on the slate. He went six innings on the hill, allowing two runs on three hits scattered, walking three and picking up a game-high six strikeouts. Jordan Pinto saw action out of the bullpen for the Cats as he worked a frame. And it was sophomore Isaak Gutierrez working an inning of hitless baseball on the mound in the eighth.
 
The loss went to Milwaukee starter Austin Schulfer who fell to 0-1 on the campaign. The right-hander worked 4.2 innings, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
 
The BCU batting attack was paced by eight different Wildcats collecting a hit on the night, including Lao's 3-for-5 effort, adding three RBIs and two runs. Sterijevski was 2-for-4 with a RBI and four runs scored, while Lorenzo was 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the contest. Fernando finished 2-for-6 at the dish with two runs and a RBI. Spivey tallied a 2-for-5 effort with three runs and two RBIs. And it was Stacy coming off the bench for a 2-for-3 night and two runs and a RBI.
 
Bethune-Cookman will look to take the series on Saturday as the two teams meet back at Jackie Robinson Ballpark for a 1 p.m. first pitch start time. BCU looks to go with sophomore right-hander Anthony Maldonado on the hill, while Milwaukee will try to even the series behind the arm of junior right-hander Jake Sommers.
 
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