DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman Softball returns home this weekend looking to stop a four-game losing streak when the Wildcats play host to visiting Alabama A&M for a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) series beginning Friday, April 12. The series kicks off with a Friday doubleheader at Sunnyland Park, followed by a series-concluding single game Saturday morning.
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, April 12
1 p.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
3:30 p.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
 
Saturday, April 13
10 a.m. – Alabama A&M | Live Stats
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Softball this season by following the Wildcats social media platforms. You can follow @BCUSoftball on Instagram and @BCUSoftball on Twitter.
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman enters the series having dropped its last four games, including a series sweep at Jackson State last weekend.
▪ The Wildcats are currently third in the SWAC Eastern Division with a 9-6 record in league play. BCU is a game ahead of Alabama State in fourth, and 2.5 games back of Jackson State in second.
▪ Briana Velazquez leads the Cats in batting average (.311), followed closely by Thais Uyema (.307). Velazquez has a .389 slugging percentage as well.
▪ Bethune-Cookman is the only team in the SWAC yet to register a home run this year.
▪ Velazquez is one of two players riding a double-digit on-base streak, upping her mark to 14 last time out at Jackson State. Ciera Clark, having started all three games at JSU, now has a 10-game on-base streak for the Maroon and Gold.
▪ Velazquez has a five-game hitting streak, followed by Brooklyn Scott and Clark at four games each, respectfully.
▪ The 17 runs scored versus Alabama A&M in Huntsville is the most runs scored in a single game by the Cats this season, while BCU scored 16 against Mississippi Valley State in the second leg of a doubleheader.
▪ Junior pitcher Angelina Badalament has a team-low 2.95 ERA for the Wildcats, pitching in 61.2 innings and recording a record of 4-8 in the circle across 18 appearances on the campaign.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH WATTEN
"We are at a crossroads, and we have to decide who we are as a team now. We've faced two very good teams the last two weeks, but we haven't handled adversity well in either series. And in this league, nobody feels sorry for you. That means this weekend becomes even more important as a dangerous Alabama A&M side looking to work their way back into a position for the SWAC Tournament comes to town."
 
"Alabama A&M has won three of their last six games since we faced them in Huntsville last month. They're confident and playing good softball. They scored 14 on Mississippi Valley State and beat Alabama State in that series opener. They have confidence, and that is something they're going to bring down here not caring about our own skid."
 
"The most important thing in this league is winning home games. We dropped two at home last time out, and it's so important for us to be able to try and get wins this weekend at home with just one more conference series left at Sunnyland Park."
 
"I said it two weeks ago, and I'll say it again. We have to learn that games aren't over until the final out. We have to hold leads better and close out games. That's been our Achilles' heel in games this season. We must possess that edge in the end to finish a team off and secure the win through the final out."
 
SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M (7-19, 3-11 SWAC)
Rankings: USA Today/NFCA Coaches – NR | ESPN.com/USA Softball – NR
Interim Head Coach: Roy Foreman (1st season)
2024 Batting Average: .258; Runs Per Game: 3.3; Hits Per Game: 6.4; Slugging Percentage: .332
2024 ERA: 6.76; K/BB Ratio: 1.5; Opp. Batting Avg: .336
 
BCU VS. ALABAMA A&M SERIES
▪ In a series that dates back to 2005, Bethune-Cookman has an 14-2 record all-time against the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M.
▪ The Wildcats won eight consecutive from 2005 to 2023.
▪ Since joining the SWAC, BCU owns a 10-2 record against AAMU.
▪ In the previous meeting this season, Bethune-Cookman outscored the Bulldogs 32-9 across the three games in Huntsville, Alabama.
▪ BCU has won the last five meetings between the two sides, respectively.
▪ In the series, BCU has outscored the Bulldogs by a 116-26 count.
 
ALABAMA A&M NOTES & STATS
▪ The Bulldogs of Alabama A&M enter the weekend 7-19 overall and sit fifth in the Eastern Division with a 3-5 mark in SWAC play.
▪ The Bulldogs won their last series a week ago at home to Mississippi Valley State, including a shutout of the Delta Devilettes on a 7-0 series-tying win. They added a 14-13 win over MVSU the following day to clinch the series.
▪ Alabama A&M is led in batting by Allyson Riches with a .300 average, adding a .333 slugging percentage.
▪ Zahria Jones has the only two home runs this season for the Bulldogs, also using a .178 average at the dish with 13 RBIs.
▪ The Bulldogs have swiped 50 bases in 59 attempts, led on the base path by Dakota Daniel with 12 steals. Tori Green and Iyanna Canada each have nine steals for AAMU as well.
▪ In the pitcher's circle, Cris'Deona Beasley owns a 4-7 record with a 3.56 ERA. Paige Scott has a 3-5 record and 7.45 ERA for the Bulldogs in the circle.
▪ Beasley has thrown a team-high 81 innings, followed by Scott with 481 innings of work.
 
LAST TIME AGAINST ALABAMA A&M
Bethune-Cookman Softball completed a three-game SWAC series sweep of Alabama A&M on the strength of a 17-1 victory at Bulldog Field in Huntsville, Alabama.
 
A Brooklyn Scott two-run double to the gap in left center cracked open the scoring for Bethune-Cookman in plating Joslynn Davis and Essence Gibbs. The Wildcats made it 3-0 in the first inning with Kallie Earlington's RBI single down the line in right that drove across Scott.
 
Alabama A&M brought a run back in the home-half of the first when right fielder Allyson Riches punched a double to left center, allowing leadoff batter Dakota Daniel to score and make it 3-1.
 
In the third inning, the Wildcats scored eight runs to pull away. Briana Velazquez pushed in Earlington and Thais Uyema with a single up the middle to advance the BCU lead 5-1. Joyce Bloome singled to second in order to bring around Velazquez. Essence Gibbs grew the lead to 7-1 with an RBI single to shortstop that scored Ciera Clark. Joslynn Davis later registered an RBI single back up the middle, as well as an Uyema RBI single to left field.
 
BCU widened the lead to 12-1 in the top of the fourth as Davis recorded her third hit of the afternoon on a single up the middle into the outfield allowing Gibbs to score. Five more runs in the fifth inning were highlighted by a Davis two-run single to score Bloome and Hannah Battles, respectfully. In all, Bethune-Cookman amassed a season-best 18 hits on the day.
 
The AAMU offense was headlined by Daniel with a 1-for-2 performance and a run, as well as a 1-for-2 effort at the dish by Serena Herbranson. Bethune-Cookman used a perfect 4-for-4 showing at the plate from centerfielder Davis, as she drove in four runs and scored two of her own. Jessica Alaan was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
 
The win went to Halyne Gonzalez (7-9) as she worked five innings, allowing just one run on four hits scattered with two walks and two strikeouts. The loss was accepted by Paige Scott (1-5) as she lasted two innings in the circle for the Bulldogs, giving up nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits, three walks and a strikeout. Sydney Hall finished the game in the circle for the Bulldogs with three innings worked, being touched for eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats travel to Alabama State in what is sure to be a highly contested series for seeding in the upcoming SWAC Tournament in Gulfport, Mississippi. The series takes place April 19-20, in Montgomery, Alabama.
 
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS
Follow Bethune-Cookman Softball on Twitter (@BCUSoftball) and Instagram (@BCUSoftball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.