DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A combined 25 runs, 24 hits, 23 walks, and 11 hit-by-pitches constituted a riotous slugfest, as Bethune-Cookman came out on top, 19-16 over Maine, Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.



Maine (1-10, 0-0 AE) opened the scoring with three runs on a pair of hits and an error in the first thanks to a homer by Zach Martin. 

 The Wildcats (6-8, 0-0 SWAC) answered quickly, scoring four runs and chasing the Black Bears starter before he could record an out thanks to RBI from Garrett Chun, Manny Souffrain, and Ramses Cordova, all via bases-loaded walks. Irvin Escobar added an RBI to make it 4-3 win a hit-by-pitch.

Maine took a 5-4 lead in the third on a solo homer and wild pitch. They added another on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch in the fourth. 

The Wildcats broke things open a half-inning later with a nine-spot., Chun, Souffrain, Escobar, Villafane, and Sergio Rivera were credited with RBI as the lead reached 13-6.

The chaos continued as Maine responded with five runs of its own in the fifth, but a Colton Olasin RBI single in the next frame kept the lead at 14-11, B-CU.

The enslaught continued in the sixth as the Wildcats made it 18-11, despite recording only one hit in the inning. Three walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a wild pitch aided the efforts as the Cats plated four. 

The Black Bears, refusing to fade away, took four more back in the eighth thanks in part to a 400+ foot homer from Jeremiah Jenkins, his second of the game, that made it 18-15.

Yet another walk with the bases loaded made it 19-15, B-CU.

Maine continued to make things interesting as Zach Martin reached third via a dropped fly ball and scored on a wild pitch, but that was all as B-CU held on for the 19-16.

Marcos Gamboa made the start for the Wildcats. He allowed five runs - two earned - on four hits with a strikeouts and no walks in 2.2 innings.

Jeffrey Gonzalez earned the win, allowing just one earned run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1.1 innings.

Sebastian Garrido, in his longest outing of his B-CU career, got the save after working four innings in which he allowed five runs - four earned - on three hits with three walks and a strikeout.

• Jose Gonzalez has reached base safely in twelve straight games.
• Only one Wildcat to appear in the game did not cross the plate with a run scored - Michael Rodriguez was pinch ran for , and Daniel Figueroa scored in his place.
• Irvin Escobar led B-CU with three RBI.
• Jayme Villafane, Sergio Rivera, Garrett Chun, Manny Souffrain, and Colton Olasin each notched two RBI. Ramses Cordova had the one remaining RBI for B-CU.
• The Wildcats walked 14 times. Main walked times.
• The Black Bears stranded 10. B-CU stranded 13.

Due to the threat of inclement weather in the early morning, first pitch of the series finale is now scheduled for a 2 p.m. start Sunday.


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