May 19, 2012
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Reach Baseball Contact Michael Stambaugh for more details by E-Mail
NORFOLK, Va. – The Wildcats (32-24) are two wins away from collecting their seventh straight MEAC title…but the team is concerned with today's game. B-CU will cross that bridge when they get to it. First, a noon Saturday meeting with Maryland Eastern Shore (14-37).
The UMES Hawks may have had a tough year on the record, but have been playing their best baseball to close out the year, winning their last three games by finding their bats. On Friday, the Hawks knocked off the Northern division number one seed, Delaware State, with a 7-6 win, after crushing North Carolina Central 13-5. In short, the Hawks are playing for the team and won't be laying down for anyone.
UMES is led at the plate by James Newsome, batting .322 and leading the team in doubles (14) and RBI (24) with two home runs and three triples. Second team All-MEAC outfielder Tre-von Johnson hits .318 with 12 doubles and 23 RBI, stealing 12 of 15 bases. Meanwhile, Byron Campbell is big on the extra base, hitting 13 doubles, seven triples, and a jack for 19 RBI.
Karim Gonzalez will take the hill for UMES, carrying a 1-5 record in 18 appearances, with a 5.97 ERA. He has 26 strikeouts in 34.2 innings and opponents have averaged .333 against him.
The Wildcats need to play tough defense, but bringing the bats will put this game away for B-CU. Yesterday with tournament host Norfolk State, six batters had two hits to tie a season-best 16 hits and log nine RBI, topped by David Lee's 4-for-5 with three RBI. Lee is hitting .312 with a team high 13 doubles and 40 RBI, in addition to his two triples and three homers. Brashad Johnson continues on the top of the hitting charts, batting .345 with 11 doubles, two triples, two homers, and 33 RBI.
Also important for the Wildcats is to keep doing it on the base path; B-CU has stolen 92 bases this season, led by Josh Johnson's 23-of-27.
On the mound, B-CU will make it a match-up of Gonzalez'…with Rayan Gonzalez taking the hill in B-CU's gray uni's. No MEAC team has truly had an answer for Gonzalez, as the tall senior sports an 8-1 record and 2.16 ERA and is the MEAC Pitcher of the Year. He is second in the MEAC in strikeouts at 72 in 79.1 innings, throwing three complete games and three shutouts. He's still only given seven extra-base hits and opponents hit .234 against him.
The winner of the game will continue into Sunday's 1:00 p.m. Championship Final, whereas the loser will fall into the lower bracket to battle their way out, facing the winner of Saturday's second game (North Carolina A&T vs. Delaware State).
