ORMOND BEACH, Fla. – Another solid Alexis Bermudez pitching effort and another five-run second inning outburst led to another Bethune-Cookman run-rule victory at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, this time a 9-1 triumph over Howard Thursday at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.

Bermudez scattered four hits as the Wildcats (24-28) advanced to Friday's winner's bracket final against Florida A&M, a 9-5 winner over Norfolk State, at noon.

BCU had nine runs and nine hits – one each by nine different players.

Pinch-hitter Yvonne Siordia broke the game open for the Wildcats in the second with her two-run single that started the rally.  Carrington Robinson, Kayla Traylor and Quianah Mitchell all scored on error to make it a 5-0 game.

Brianna Paysinger stole home, Kaira Cabato drove in a run with a single, then Brianna Sanders and Sasha Killings had RBI doubles in BCU's four-run fourth.

Bermudez, who fired a no-hitter in Wednesday's 8-0 tournament opener against Coppin State, lost her shutout in the fifth, but Traylor's diving catch on a line drive produced a double play that preserved the run-rule margin.
 
NOTES: BCU has scored 37 runs in the past five games … The Wildcats are  12-2 when scoring six or more runs…The Wildcats haven't committed an error in the two tournament games and are 13-8 when playing error-free ball … Paysinger now has an 11-game hitting streak … Siordia posted her second multi-RBI game of the year.