May 18, 2012
Box Score
Reach Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details by E-Mail
NORFOLK, Va. – The six-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Bethune-Cookman Wildcats put together one of the most complete games of the season in downing the tournament host Norfolk State Spartans with a shutout in the quarterfinal matchup at the MEAC Baseball Championships, claiming their second win by a 9-0 margin.
“I thought we came out with a lot of energy today, ready to play,” said Head Coach Jason Beverlin. “The guys were really amped up early on and our offense exploded in the fifth inning.”
The Spartans (21-27) are known for playing tight games, thanks to tough defense and a solid pitching staff, and embodied that expectation early in Friday's game versus the Wildcats (32-24), serving as visitors on their home field.
B-CU finally put a crack in the Spartan armor in the third inning, turning Jairo Acevedo's leadoff single into a run, as David Lee dropped a shallow RBI single just outside the range of the center fielder to claim the early lead.
Back to back walks in the fifth set the table for a big B-CU inning, with Brandon Turner putting out a floating RBI single to left, and Lee again converted for a pair of runs on a double deep to the left field corner. With B-CU holding a 4-0 lead, NSU called it a day for starter Ryan VanAssche (L, 4-7).
Facing Spartans reliever Richie Salter, the Wildcats kept the momentum rolling, collecting runs for three consecutive batters on Anthony Stokes' single to left center, Brashad Johnson's double to left, and Alejandro Sanchez' grounder single up the middle. Josh Johnson capped off the seven-run inning with a sacrifice fly.
Salter settled into his outing and held the Wildcats for a pair of frames, but B-CU capitalized on base runners in the eighth, as Stokes hit another RBI single to push the B-CU lead to 9-0.
Montana Durapau (W, 4-6) threw one of his best outings of the year, putting in eight complete innings with just three hits allowed, and no Spartan runners getting past second base.
“Montana did an unbelievable job of holding them at bay until our bats got going,” Beverlin said. He's done an outstanding job all season, but today he was in total command of the game.”
“I think the fact that he's pitched so many mid-week games against top-40 opponents has really helped prepare him for the end of the season,” Beverlin added.
Durapau had no walks and struck out six for his second shutout of the year. Typically the mid-week starter, the sophomore from Deltona, Fla. hasn't faced much conference action in 2012.
“It was my first time really pitching in the MEAC and I wanted to come out strong,” said Durapau. “I threw a lot of strikes and attacked batters. All week we've been playing with good defense behind us, so I just filled up the strike zone and defense did the rest.”
Bryan Rivera took the mound in the ninth to put the finishing touches on the win, allowing no hits and ending the game on a pair of flies and a strikeout.
Lee proved to be the spark that turned into a Wildfire for the Wildcats, hitting 4-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. His RBI base hits in the third and fifth proved to turn the offensive tide in B-CU's favor.
“He was really the catalyst that got things going today,” Beverlin said of Lee.
Stokes went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI and a run scored.
B-CU tied a season-high 16 hits with six batters collecting at least a pair en route to a nine-RBI day for the Wildcats.
Bethune-Cookman will face Maryland Eastern Shore (14-37) in Saturday's MEAC Semifinal game, with the first pitch to be thrown at 12:00 p.m. at Marty L. Miller Field. UMES defeated Delaware State (36-16) in the other quarterfinal game.
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