DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Wildcats capped off a four-game series sweep of former MEAC foe Maryland Eastern Shore with a historic offensive explosion that saw Bethune-Cookman pour on 30 runs on 15 hits in a 30-5 win, Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
It marks the second-highest scoring output in program history - in the 2000 season, B-CU put up a 37-2 performance against a Howard baseball program that folded only a year later.
30 runs is the most runs scored in a game for B-CU since the Cats smashed Delaware State, 25-9 on May 8, 2010. It is the most scored against UMES since a 23-3 win on April 27, 2008.
It is the most runs scored in a game in the tenure of head coach
Jonathan Hernandez - the previous high mark was a 19-0 win over Grambling State in the 2022 SWAC tournament in Birmingham, Ala.
UMES (1-11) put a pair of runners on in the first after two walks, but an
Edwin Sanchez strikeout prevented the runners on second and third from crossing the plate
Bethune-Cookman (6-6) opened the contest much as they had throughout the weekend series, plating four runs in the bottom of the first without recording a hit. The Cats opened the inning as
Sergio Rivera reached on an error, and two straight walks loaded the bases with no one out.
Armani Newton pushed the first of many runs across in the contest on a sacrifice fly before another walk and a wild pitch saw
Michael Rodriguez cross the plate to make it 2-0. Another bases-loaded walk, this time by
Darryl Lee, followed by a
Jeter Polledo sacrifice fly made it 4-0 at the end of the first.
B-CU grabbed another run in the second, again loading the bases with three walks.
Jorge Rodriguez made it 5-0 on a full-count walk that allowed
Michael Rodriguez to score yet again as B-CU went up 5-0.
UMES jumped back into the game in the top of the third with two singles, followed by a two-out triple that scored a pair, and another RBI knock to make it 5-3.
The Wildcat onslaught began in the bottom of the third. After a one-out walk,
Sergio Rivera recorded the Wildcats first hit of the game before a Michael Rodrigez fielder's choice and a Hawk error made ti a 6-3 lead for the Cats.
B-CU loaded the bases again after another walk and a hit-by-pitch before a strikeout made it two outs in the frame. B-CU proceeded to score eight runs with help from three more hits, two more walks, and a hit batter, with RBI from Jorge Rodrigez,
Jeter Polledo, Plascencia, and
Daniel Figueroa on the way to a 14-3 lead.
Sanchez responded with two strikeouts in a clean fourth.
B-CU one-upped their third inning efforts with a 10 spot in the fourth, doing so again with only three hits as the UMES bullpen struggled for answers. The Hawks sent three different arms to the mound in the frame.
Three walks - two of them on four pitches - loaded the bases yet again for the Wildcats with just one out. B-CU marched four runs in all on bases-loaded walks to push the lead to 18-3. The first hit of the frame came courtesy of
Jorge Rodriguez, who scored
Peter Vazquez to make it 19-3.
A Christian Watson single one batter later made it 20 runs for the Cats, and another bases-loaded walk made it 21-3 with two outs in the inning.
Jorge Rodriguez came to the plate for a second tiime in the inning, doubling to left field scoring two before Polledo made it 24-3 on a sacrifice fly.
The Hawks took one back on a dropped throw by now-first baseman
Jorge Rodriguez for their fourth run of the game in the top of the fifth.
Watson added another RBI in the fifth with another single for run number 25 on the day.
Even as B-CU emptied the bench in the sixth, the runs kept coming, as B-CU recored five runs on six hits in the sixth. Polledo made it six RBI on the day with an RBI double, with Martinez, Figueroa, and Watson notching RBi of their own.
Jorge Rodriguez tied Polledo in the RBI department with a two-run single to close out the 30-run explosion for B-CU.
UMES did not quit in the seventh, loading the bases off the B-CU bullpen and sneaking in one more run on a hit batter in the 30-5 loss.
Edwin Sanchez made the start for B-CU allowing three runs - all earned - on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.
Isaiah Duccassee and
Angel Lopez closed things out from the pen, allowing a run with two walks and five strikeouts between them.
- 11 Wildcats recorded multi-hit games - Rivera, Michael and Josh Rodriguez, and Watson each recorded three hits, with Jorge Rodriguez notching four.
- Jorge Rodriguez and Christopher Watson recorded six RBI each.
- Darryl Lee walked five times.
- B-CU scored a total of 35 runs in its first eight games of the 2025 season. The Wildcats scored 55 runs in four games against UMES. They scored 38 in the final two games alone.
- The Wildcats improve to an outrageous 58-1 record against UMES, improving their runs per game average to 10.69 in the series. In 59 games, B-CU has scored a total of 631 runs against the Hawks.
- The Wildcats have won 45 straight games against the Hawks, with their last loss an 11-0 defeat in 1997.
- In the weekend series, the Wildcats recorded both their largest margin of victory against UMES (30-5), and their smallest (8-7).
A road test awaits for B-CU in the midweek as the Wildcats head to the state capitol to take on the Seminoles of Florida State on Wednesday, March 5. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
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--#HailWildcats--
