TAMPA – Demetrius Sims tallied his first career collegiate home run Tuesday evening, but it was visiting Bethune-Cookman falling to USF, 6-2 at USF Baseball Stadium.
After being held scoreless through the opening two frames, Bethune-Cookman (16-22) redshirt sophomore Demetrius Sims registered his first collegiate home run with a leadoff shot to left field.
That brought the Wildcats to within, 2-1.
USF (18-19) would extend the lead back to a two-run lead in the home-half of the fourth inning.
Left fielder Chris Chatfield singled to right, bringing around Joe Genord from second after the Bulls catcher walked in his at-bat. That put the Bulls on top, 3-1.
Once again, B-CU brought the game to within one run, this time with a single score in the top of the seventh inning.
Senior right fielder Nathan Bond reached on a one-out single to left center, moving catcher Clay Middleton into scoring position. Middleton drew a base on balls a batter earlier. Sophomore Brandon Wilkes delivered a RBI single through the left side, plating Middleton and bringing the Wildcats to within a 3-2 score line.
However, the homestanding USF Bulls would counter with three insurance runs in the bottom of the frame, leading to the final 6-2 decision.
The win went to USF starter Michael Clarkson, giving the right-hander his first win of the year. His record now stands at 1-3 on the season. Clarkson worked seven innings, allowed two earned runs, six hits, a walk and seven strikeouts.
B-CU starting pitcher German Hernandez accepted the loss to even his record at 3-3 on the campaign. Hernandez pitched six frames, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
The Wildcats offense was paced by leadoff man and senior Rakeem Quinn, as the left fielder went 2-for-4 at the plate. Sims finished the night 1-for-3 with a RBI and run scored, all via the solo shot in the third.
Bethune-Cookman will play its final home series of the season this weekend, welcoming Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponent North Carolina Central to Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The series begins with a doubleheader Saturday, April 23, at 1 p.m.
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