April 8, 2012
Box Score (Game 3)
Reach Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details by E-Mail
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Roughly the only thing that went wrong for Bethune-Cookman on Easter Sunday was surrendering a triple play, but not even that impressive rarity could put a damper on the dominating 10-1 victory over Savannah State to complete the series sweep. The Wildcats commanded a strong presence at the plate, on the base path, and on the mound, leading to a near shutout.
The Wildcats (19-13, 9-3 MEAC) crept along offensively in the opening frames, but Savannah State (11-21, 5-7 MEAC) couldn't hold the 'Cats for long, as B-CU erupted in the third to set off consecutive scoring innings, making the most of what the Tigers were giving.
Carlos Delgado reached on the first of three throw-out errors in the game, advanced on a sacrifice, and became B-CU's initial run on Brandon Turner's RBI ground out. Reaching base on balls, David Lee came home on a Brashad Johnson RBI triple that cleared third on its way into the left field corner, leading way for Alejandro Sanchez' RBI single by way of beating the throw at the bag.
Jairo Acevedo led off with a battling 2-2 single through the right side, setting the stage for consecutive three-run innings, with Turner's bunt RBI single and Sanchez' two run single dropped into shallow right field extending the B-CU lead to six.
On a side note, if any could claim to be a base-hit bunting specialist, Turner would be that player, as he has a proven ability to beat the scoop, batting .750 on non-sacrifice bunts this season.
Back to the action; B-CU went for the hat trick in the fifth, taking advantage of the remaining two throw-out errors, with aggressive base running and additional RBI for Turner and Lee; the Wildcats going on top by nine.
Savannah State put everything to B-CU, including five total pitchers, and numerous late-inning lineup changes, but only logged one run in the top of the eighth.
The Wildcats extended the lead back to nine as Anthony Stokes clanged his sixth homer of the year off the left field batting cages in the bottom of the eighth to go up 10-1, sent final as closer Jordan Taylor gave just one hit against a strikeout and two ground outs.
A big story going in was the return of left-handed starter Ali Simpson from Tommy John rehab, and the Campbell River, B.C. native didn't disappoint, giving only one hit and a walk, with two strikeouts, in two innings of action for the controlled start.
“It was an awesome feeling just to be able to pitch again,” Simpson said through a smile in post-game.
Head Coach Jason Beverlin too was pleased with the addition of the fifth member of his starting rotation.
“It was great to see Ali back on the mound,” Beverlin noted. “I think that gave us a big lift, and we're very excited about having him back. We'll gradually get his pitch count up and get him ready for the end of the year push.”
Naturally the hitting became a huge factor, but just as crucial was the performance of mid-reliever Bryan Rivera (2-2), who collected the win with four strikeouts, no walks, and only one hit allowed in four shutout innings on the hill, for one of his best performances of the year.
“Coach [Beverlin] worked out with my pitches and made my ability to pitch easier today,” Rivera said. You go out there to enjoy the game, you're team is high on the scoreboard, you just want to go out there and get the 'W' for the team.”
Freshman right-handers Juan Pizarro and Taylor wrapped the final three innings to close the door on the Tigers.
At the plate, B-CU collected 12 hits, led by MEAC weekly honors candidate Josh Johnson, who hit 3-5, scoring two runs. Turner was 2-4, scoring one run and batting in three more. Sanchez went 2-5 with three RBI of his own.
“No doubt about it, we did a good job of situational hitting,” Beverlin said. “Really the whole top of the lineup did a great job of getting those guys in when we needed to.”
The win gave B-CU their third series sweep of the season, and sixth series win of the year, at six games over .500. More crucial, it also gave B-CU a strong grip on the MEAC Southern divisional lead, going up three games, as SSU was the second-ranked team.
“There's no question that today was a big game,” Beverlin noted. “We gain three games instead of one; it was big to get that final win today.”
B-CU will return to MEAC action next weekend at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, hosting Florida A&M (6-30, 4-8 MEAC) on Saturday and Sunday, seeking to avenge the stunning series loss in Tallahassee in March. However, first the Wildcats head out for two regional mid-week non-conference contests, with North Florida (20-14) on Tuesday and #14 Central Florida (26-7) on Wednesday.
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