March 28, 2008

Box Score

Daytona Beach, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman University wasted little time roaring out to an insurmountable lead en route to a decisive 12-1 victory over Savannah State University in a non-conference baseball contest on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The hits came, and came ... and well, came on Friday night as B-CU jumped on Savannah State right from the start and showed no mercy for their long-time interstate foes from Georgia.

B-CU (15-9), fresh off the heels of a heartbreaking loss at #2 Miami on Wednesday, wanted to bounce back with authority against the ever-so-powerful Savannah State Tigers.

The Wildcats of B-CU jumped on SSU (15-9) starter Michael Allegretti in the bottom of the first for three runs off the bat.

Centerfielder José Ortiz singled and advanced on a passed ball, while teammate José Lozada started a record-breaking day with a one of his school single-game record three (3) triples to plate Ortiz from second. He later scampered in when Osvaldo Torres connected on a 1-0 pitch to left for a stand-up double. Torres, meanwhile, came around two batters later as third baseman Emmanuel Castro dropped a single to left to put the Wildcats up 3-0 in the first.

As SSU's Allegretti settled in after that, B-CU starter Hiram Burgos was a man on a mission on the bump tonight. After receiving his first loss on Wednesday out of the bullpen, he was lights-out on the hill as a starter tonight.

He allowed just one hit trough the first six frames, mowing through the SSU batters with ease. He also collected five strikeouts in that time period.

With both teams playing good defense and having good pitching, B-CU went on the offensive again in the fifth for three more runs that put the game out of reach.

Justin Hoyte led-off the inning with a double to left, and Lozada collected his second triple of the night to plate both Ortiz and Hoyte for the 5-0 Wildcats advantage. Ortiz reached on a hit-by-pitch.

Torres went fishing on a 3-1 Allegretti delivery to chip another single to left that crossed Lozada to make the score 6-0 in favor of the homestanding Wildcats.

In the sixth, the `Cats struck again as designated hitter Jeremy Ruperto got his first hit of the season as he filled in for normal designated hitter Chris Brown. Ruperto's double to right center put him into scoring position for Hoyte to score him on a single past the glove of SSU second baseman Santos Adames.

B-CU led at that point, 7-0.

SSU finally got to Burgos in the seventh as Adames reached on an error by Lozada, and later scored on a throwing error charged to the B-CU infield. Both B-CU errors in the game came in the seventh inning. The only run of the game by the Tigers was unearned for Burgos.

The `Cats became even more aggressive in the eighth as head coach Mervyl Melendez cleaned off his bench, but they were just as hungry as the hits kept coming for the young Wildcats.

Castro posted the first hit of the inning with a single, and Ruperto put two men on with a single right behind him. Both runners advanced with a wild pitch from SSU reliever Matthew Oglesby setting up a two-run scoring double to left by catcher Jorge Velez. For Velez, it was his second double of the year.

Patrick Jones stepped into the lineup to post a single to left that plated Velez, while Devin De La Rosa plated a RBI single on a swinging bunt that just got past the pitcher. Lozada's third and final triple of the game plated De La Rosa for the 12-1 final score.

B-CU freshman Joseph Munoz cleaned up the game for Burgos in the mound as he went the last two frames, allowing just two hits and fanning three batters.

Hiram Burgos got the win to move to 3-1 on the year, as well as keeping his record as a starter clean at 3-0. He went seven full innings and spread out two hits with one unearned run, a walk and six K's. The loss went to Allegretti who earned just his first loss of the year with five and a third innings on the bump and being tagged with seven earned runs on 10 hits. He also struck-out five Wildcats.

SSU was led at the plate by pinch hitters David Rowland and Dexter Kelley who were both 1-for-1 in their only appearances off the bench.

B-CU was led by Lozada with a 4-for-5 day that included three triples and four RBI with two runs scored. Beside him were Torres, Castro, Ruperto and Hoyte who had two hits a piece, respectively. Torres and Velez each added two RBI.

The two teams meet back at Jackie Robinson Ballpark tomorrow at 1 p.m. for the second game of this weekend's three-game stretch. Live stats will be presented through Game Tracker at www.BCCathletics.com.