Feb. 24, 2012
St. Bonaventure Box Score / Stetson Box Score
By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
DELAND, Fla. – The bats came back for Bethune-Cookman Friday night, and the Wildcats' defense and pitching weren't too shabby also in a complete 7-2 victory over Stetson in the Hatter Invitational at Patricia Wilson Field.
After a 3-0 loss to St. Bonaventure to start the day, B-CU (2-8) snapped an 18-inning scoreless drought while Aurelia Gamch and Shanel Tolbert combined on a four-hitter in the Wildcats' best defensive effort of the young season to down the Hatters.
“The kids keep working and that's the most important thing,” said B-CU coach Chris Cochran, whose team had lost five straight. “It's a three month season and they're grinding. They're a good group to coach because they want to be a good team.”
Backed by solid defense in the outfield led by five Calesha Shelley putouts, Gamch threw four scoreless innings and then Tolbert recovered from giving up a two-run monster homer to SU's Courtney Brant by working two scoreless relief innings for the victory. Earlier in the day, Tolbert had a solid outing with a seven-hitter in the SBU loss.
“Shanel did a great job today,” Cochran said. “She threw well enough to win the first game.”
Against Stetson, B-CU struck first when Michelle Banuelos-Smith went yard in the fourth with a solo shot to left.
The Hatters took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, but B-CU answered with six runs.
Shelley scored on Kelsey Rodney's double, than Gamch scored on a Cesley Tafoya single to give B-CU a 3-2 lead.
After a fielder'choice left Rodney on third and Tafoya on second, Stetson elected to load the bases and intentionally walked Sabrina Ferguson. But ball four got past the Hatter catcher and Rodney scored.
Karina Romero was walked to load the bases, but freshman Shamaria Engram responded with a triple off the right field wall to clear the bases and blow the game open.
“It fired me up,” Engram said. “It motivated me to get the big hit.”
B-CU returns to action Saturday with an 11 a.m. rematch with St. Bonaventure followed by a 1:30 p.m. game with Mount Saint Mary's.
