SAVANNAH, Ga. – Jameel Edney and Jordan Stacy each registered three hits on Sunday, but it was not enough as Bethune-Cookman's comeback attempt fell just short with an 8-7 defeat at Savannah State in the final game of a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series taking place at Tiger Field. However, BCU collected the series win with a doubleheader sweep of the Tigers on Saturday.
 
Bethune-Cookman hoped for a Sunday sweep of Savannah State, but it was the homestanding Tigers that got hot early-on, taking advantage of three BCU errors on the day en route to the team's first league win of the 2017 campaign.
 
With Bethune-Cookman (21-14, 8-4 MEAC) trailing 1-0, the Wildcats produced three runs in the top of the fourth inning to take a brief lead.
 
Redshirt freshman catcher Chase DeBonis picked up his first career triple to score Jordan Stacy and Adonis Lao on the play, giving the Cats their first lead of the day at 2-1. The lead increased by a run on the next play when sophomore center fielder Josten Heron's sacrifice fly to deep right crossed DeBonis for the 3-1 Wildcats advantage.
 
However, it would be Savannah State (10-23, 1-11 MEAC) countering with three runs in the home-half of the inning to reclaim the lead.
 
With runners on the corners and one out for the Tigers, right fielder Khayld Cox tallied a RBI single up the middle to score Turner Davis. A batter later, centerfielder Mason Calloway knotted the contest at 3-all with a RBI single of his own to right field, scoring Jorge Lopez for the go-ahead run. An RBI groundout moments later from Bernard Barnes would step SSU in front, 4-3 when designated hitter Kyle Gerdts scampered in on the hit.
 
BCU would tie the game for the second time in the game in the top of the fifth, using a Danny Rodriguez sacrifice fly to left that was deep enough for the speedy Lao to score from third.
 
With the game tied at 4-4 entering the home-half of the fifth, BCU starting pitcher Tyler Krull would not factor into the decision as BCU sixth-year head coach Jason Beverlin went to the bullpen for freshman Isaak Gutierrez.
 
After a walk drawn by Lopez, followed by a single on a hit-and-run from Gerdts, runners were at the corners for SSU with no outs. BCU went to the bullpen once again, this time in the form of junior Joseph Calamita, who immediately got Cox to pop up for the first out. But it would be Barnes delivering the go-ahead RBI two plays later with a two-out single. Gerdts scored on the single, while Calloway scored on an error charged to BCU's Nash at second.
 
With SSU up 6-4, The Cats got to within 6-5 in the top of the seventh when Edney delivered an RBI single to right that scored Kyle Corbin who reached previously on an error by Tigers pitcher Colby Rhea.
 
The Tigers would add a pair of insurance runs in the home-half of the frame to advance their lead, 8-5.
 
BCU tried to mount another comeback in the top of the eighth with two runs of its own.
 
With Heron and DeBonis on second and third, respectively, Corbin tallied a RBI single to left field to score both runners and bring BCU to the final 8-7 decision.
 
The win went to Savannah State's Gregory Smith, evening his record at 2-2 on the year. The save was picked up by Paul Sheffield, his third of the campaign.
 
Meanwhile, Gutierrez suffered the loss to fall to 1-3 for the season.
 
BCU was led at the dish by Edney's 3-for-4 effort, as well as Stacy's 3-for-5 performance. DeBonis added a pair of hits and two runs batted in. And it was Corbin going 1-for-5 with a pair of RBIs.
 
Bethune-Cookman returns to action Tuesday, April 11, when the Wildcats travel to FIU in Miami. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
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