May 12, 2011
Howard Box Score / NSU Box Score
By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman produced the right amount of offense and defense to outlast Norfolk State 6-3 to conclude the opening day of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament undefeated Thursday at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
The Wildcats (30-23) will face Northern Division champs Delaware State in the winner's bracket Friday at 1 p.m. The Hornets escaped Florida A&M 4-3 in Thursday's other late game.
B-CU answered runs scored by NSU leadoff hitter Danielle Wright in the first and third and gradually pulled away with a run each in the fourth, fifth and sixth.
On defense, Allison Garcia got out of a bases-loaded jam and another with two Spartans in scoring position. Fittingly, the game ended with a Michelle Banuelos-Smith to Aurelia Gamch to Sabrina Ferguson relay that caught a Spartan runner for the final out.
“Defensive stops like that are what you hope you can do,” said B-CU coach Chris Cochran. “We had enough offense to get us going and we played well.”
Cesley Tafoya drove in two runs for the Wildcats, while Ashton Hinds and Aurelia Gamch each had two hits.
Down 1-0, B-CU took the lead in the first when Tafoya singled home Gamch and Garcia scored on Kelsey Rodney's sacrifice fly. The lead increased to 3-1 in the second when Gamch doubled home Brianna Leverett.
Norfolk State closed to 3-2 in the third, but could get no closer.
Hinds scored on Tafoya's sacrifice fly in the fourth, Hinds doubled home Banuelos-Smith in the fifth and Sabrina Ferguson tripled home pinchrunner Amari Foster in the sixth for B-CU.
B-CU 8 HOWARD 0
This is how you're supposed to start a tournament when you're a number one seed. Bethune-Cookman made quick work of Howard Thursday as the Wildcats run-ruled the Bison 8-0 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament opener at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
Allison Garcia threw a four-hit shutout as the Wildcats (29-23) won their seventh straight game. The Wildcats will face either Morgan State or Norfolk State Thursday evening at 7 p.m. EST (Audiocast: www.goliathradio.com).
B-CU took a 1-0 lead in the third when Aurelia Gamch doubled and scored on a Garcia single. The Wildcats blew the game open in the fourth, capitalizing on two Bison (17-25) errors to plate five runs.
The Wildcats put an early end to the game in the fifth when Ashton Hinds doubled home Briana Leverett and scored on a Howard error.
Hinds and Leverett each had registered two hits and two runs scored. Gamch also scored twice.
"We knew we had to play well and I thought Allie threw well," said B-CU coach Chris Cochran. "Briana had a nice game offensively and as a team we came through with some big hits."
Garcia walked none and struck out three as she improved to 22-10 on the season. The 2011 MEAC Pitcher Of The Year is now 12-0 against MEAC competition.
