Feb. 29, 2012

Box Score

Reach Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details by E-Mail stambaughm@cookman.edu -

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Wildcats got off to a slow start offensively against UCF, Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, leading to an 8-4 loss to the Knights in the fourth meeting of these teams on leap day. Bethune-Cookman got rolling late in the game and battled back, but consistent UCF offense early put the rally just out of reach.

“We did a pretty good job of battling back all night, and never giving up,” said Head Coach Jason Beverlin.

En route to a team-leading 2-3, three RBI night, UCF first baseman D.J. Hicks got the Knights rolling in the first inning with a two-RBI single through the middle infield. The Knights put up runs in six of the first seven innings, while holding B-CU without a hit in the early going.

Jairo Acevedo broke up the no-hitter in the fifth with a stand-up double, right down the left baseline. Collecting the first hit kicked open some doors for the Wildcats, with a base hit for Stokes on the next at bat.

Making his second appearance in Wildcat uniform, and collecting an RBI for the second straight game, freshman center fielder Jake Welch ended the shutout with a two-RBI double, which dropped just outside the sprinting distance of the right fielder.

Carlos Delgado singled to shallow right field in the seventh for an RBI, while Brashad Johnson's base on balls RBI moved the Wildcats' run count to four.

After breaking into hitting, B-CU's approach was aggressive and provided a lot of opportunities, but the Wildcats left a lot of runs on the field late in the game, with seven left on base through the last four frames.

“We just didn't come up with the big hit when we had runners in scoring position,” said Beverlin, “but I'm not disappointed with the way we played overall and the approach we had tonight.”

After starting the game at second base, Jairo Acevedo took the mound for B-CU, giving the Wildcats a chance to rally, allowing no runs in the final two innings, while giving up no hits and just one walk.

First baseman Anthony Stokes turned in B-CU's top hitting performance on the night, going 2-3, and crossing home with two of B-CU's runs. Delgado was 1-2 with an RBI, while Welch was 1-3 with two RBI.

The Wildcats open up another weekend series, starting Friday, but this time in the confines of Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Troy Trojans come to Daytona Beach at 4-3 after defeating Samford, 13-6, on Tuesday night at home.

###