MIAMI – Danny Rodriguez registered his team-leading fourth home run of the year Tuesday evening, but it was visiting Bethune-Cookman falling by a score of 12-7 in midweek baseball action against FIU at Infinity Park.
 
Bethune-Cookman 10-19) jumped out to a 4-0 lead just three innings into the game.
 
Giovany Lorenzo plated the game's opening score in the top of the second inning with a single that scored Ian Claudio. Jameel Edney would also come in to score for the 2-0 lead on an error charged to FIU starting pitcher Greyson Fletcher. The Wildcats would soon chase Fletcher after just 1.2 innings worked, later setting up Brady Van Hook to score on a wild pitcher from Panthers' reliever Everett Hurst.
 
The visitors would make it 4-0 in the top of the third inning when junior first baseman Danny Rodriguez punched out a first-pitch leadoff home run.
 
However, FIU (14-16) would soon answer in the bottom of the fourth as the Panthers scored eight runs in the home-half of the inning.
 
Eddie Silva registered a two-run homer, followed two plays later by another two-run shot – this one coming from left fielder Lorenzo Hampton, Jr. A three-run round-tripper from Michael Harkcom would make it 7-4, spelling the end of the night for BCU starting pitcher Jordan Pinto.
 
Jose Garcia's RBI walk with the bases loaded allowed Logan Allen to score in order to complete the eight-run half-inning for the Panthers.
 
Bethune-Cookman would respond in the top of the fifth with two runs of its own.
 
With the bases loaded, Lorenzo worked a base on balls to collect an RBI with Jordan Stacy trotting home for the score. Stacy, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, reached in his at-bat with a one-out double.
 
BCU would trim the deficit at 8-6 when Joseph Fernando scored on a balk from Cody Cortelli.
 
But it would be the Panthers adding four more runs in the bottom-half of the inning, highlighted by Allen's two-run scoring single that plated Juan Teixeira and Javier Valdes, adding to the FIU lead, 12-6.
 
The Maroon and Gold would get one run back in the top of the sixth to produce the final 12-7 margin, using a Stacy RBI double to bring around Rodriguez who walked a play earlier.
 
The win was picked up by FIU reliever Jose Machado (1-0) as he worked an inning in the fourth, striking out two batters and walking two without allowing a hit. The loss was accepted by BCU's Pinto (0-1) as he spent 3.2 innings on the bump, being hit six times for six runs, a walk and recording three strikeouts.
 
BCU was paced at the dish by Rodriguez's 2-for-5 night, including the big home run in the third inning.
 
Bethune-Cookman will look to rebound this weekend when the Wildcats travel to Savannah State for a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series in Savannah, Georgia. The series begins Saturday, April 7, with a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start.
 
Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).