Feb. 13, 2007

Final Stats

DeLand, Fla. - Stetson University used a nine-run fifth inning to blow open what was a tight contest on Tuesday evening en route to a walk-away 13-6 victory over Bethune-Cookman College at Melching Field in DeLand, Fla. The 13 runs was the highest allowed by Bethune-Cookman since falling to Delaware State by a score of 15-7 back on Apr. 24, 2005.

After grabbing a -0 lead at the top of the first inning, Bethune-Cookman (4-3) was unable to get much of anything else going on Tuesday night. It seemed as if a collision course for error was destined after six straight great games, though two of them in a losing effort. Well, fate stepped in on Tuesday and the "bad guy" was the Stetson Hatters (3-1).

Stetson batted around the order in the fifth inning, and put up nine runs on the Wildcats who went through three (3) pitchers looking for just three outs to retire the side.

Center fielder Shane Jordan started off the inning with a triple to right field off B-CC starting pitcher Joseph Gautier, seeing action in his first start of the season. Two of his starts last year came against this same Stetson team. That triple was followed up by a sacrifice fly from Casey Frawley that put the Hatters up 4-2.

Things would get increasingly worse, however, as Braedyn Pruitt connected on a shot to right field that scored the first Hatters homerun of the campaign, watching the pitch clear the right field wall in a hurry. Right fielder Ryan Puskar stepped up later and delivered a two-run scoring double to center field just over the outstretched glove of B-CC center fielder José Ortiz-Rivera that plated Josh Clendenin and Adam Tindle on the play.

Frawley would later add a two-run scoring bloop-shot double down the right field line that beat the glove of Angel Mercado (Barranquitas, Puerto Rico) who was playing deep in the field. That double allowed Jordan and teammate Kevin Johnson to cross safely and put the score at 11-2 in favor of the Hatters.

Stetson would add another run before Wildcats reliever Orlando Bacon entered the game to close-out the side. The `Cats used Hiram Burgos and Felix Machado out of the bullpen before Bacon entered the game.

B-CC would battle back in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, with the fighting Wildcat spirit that embodies a Mervyl Melendez coached team as he gave his team a LONG talking to between the seventh and eighth innings.

Outfielder Devin Conner collected the first hit of his career as a Wildcat when he delivered a double down the left field line, and newcomer Larry Thomas followed it up with a two-run scoring stand-up double to left center that plated Conner and Luis Gonzalez.

B-CC added two more runs in the ninth inning on a furious rally attempt when Patrick Jones drove in back-up catcher and freshman Patrick Jones on the play. But the rally attempt was faded when sophomore Chris Brown struck out swinging to end the game at 13-6.

Gautier collected the loss for the Wildcats to drop his record to 0-2 on the year in two appearances. So far, the sophomore has been beaten up in two appearances on the mound as he looks to work his way into the weekend rotation for the `Cats in a battle with fellow sophomore Hiram Burgos who has also had two less than great appearances for the `Cats in his last two Sunday starts.

The win went to Stetson's Nick Pugliese who earned his first decision of the 2007 campaign.

Doing damage for the `Cats at the plate was Conner with two hits, both doubles, in two appearances, as well as left fielder Larry Thomas collected two of the `Cats four RBI on the night.

The game was delayed at the start by an hour due to severe weather in and around the Daytona Beach/Volusia County area. Ironically, B-CC's softball contest against the University of Central Florida was cancelled just three hours prior to the start of, what would turn out to be, a beautiful night for baseball in nearby DeLand. With the loss, the `Cats have now lost their last four contests to their intra-county rivals from DeLand, as well as 23 games in a row at Stetson dating back to a 9-8 win on Apr. 25, 1995.

Bethune-Cookman will try and get back to the business of winning baseball game son Friday when they travel to the University of Tennessee for the first of a three-game stretch in Knoxville, Tenn. The first game is slated for a 3 p.m. start.