Daytona Beach, Fla. – Matthew Garcia powered the Wildcats offense with two homers, but it was not enough as B-CU dropped game two to Florida A&M, 5-2, Saturday night at Bethune Point.
 
How It Happened
 
Florida A&M (13-18, 7-3 SWAC) put baserunners on out of the gate on a hit and an error, quickly breaking through with a three-run homer to put the visitors up in the top of the first.
 
Matthew Garcia put the Wildcats (13-16, 7-3 SWAC) on the scoreboard with a solo shot to left center field in the bottom of the third. It was his first homer of the season and the Wildcats' eighth of the year as a team.
 
FAMU loaded the bases in the top of the fifth with no outs, but could only manage two runs on an RBI single and bases-loaded walk that made it 5-1.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, Malik Stephens singled and Colton Olasin walked, but the Wildcats stranded both.
 
Garcia gave the B-CU offense life again in the eighth, sending his second homer of the game over the wall in right center to cut the deficit to 5-2. The Wildcats put two more runners on in the inning, but nothing came of it.
 
"We have to get better," Wildcats head coach Jonathan Hernandez said after the game. "Offensively we have to keep grinding. We didn't take advantage of some opportunities tonight."
 
"(Garcia) has been great all year," Hernandez said. "He's been a steady offensive presence for us."
 
Nolan Santos saddled the loss. He threw five innings, allowing five runs – four earned – on six hits and five walks with five strikeouts.
 
Dale Michaud threw three innings, allowing only a single hit and a walk with five punchouts. Alec Mendez took the final inning, allowing a hit with two strikeouts.
 
Hernandez will have his squad ready for a reset in the finale tomorrow.
 
"It's a team effort," Hernandez said. "We just have to keep coming to work. This isn't the end of the world by any means. We're going to give our best effort tomorrow."
 
Notes

• The Wildcats left nine men on base – the Rattlers left six.
• Brian Perez doubled in the bottom of the eighth to extend his on-base streak to 15 games – the longest for a Wildcat this season.
• Matthew Garcia stretched his on-base streak to 14 games, and Febles's reached double digits at 10.
• Saturday was Garcia's fourth multi-RBI game of the season and his eleventh multi-hit game.
• The loss marks the first SWAC series loss of the season for the Wildcats.

 
Up Next
The Wildcats will look to salvage a win from the series tomorrow. First pitch of the series finale is set for 1 p.m., Sunday.
 
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