FORT MYERS, Fla. - Darryl Lee's sixth inning grand slam fueled a six-run B-CU comeback win to take the series opener at Florida Gulf Coast, Friday night at Swanson Stadium.
Florida Gulf Coast (4-9) got to work quickly in the first, putting three of the first four runners on with a pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch. A pair of RBI singles and a passed ball gave FGCU a quick 3-0 lead.
Bethune-Cookman (7-7) grabbed a run back in the top of the second as
Andrey Martinez sent a two-out solo homer over the wall in right field to make it 3-1.
After a quiet third, FGCU bolstered its lead to three again with a solo shot of their own to make it 4-1.
FGCU's big blow came in the fourth as a three-run homer - again with two outs - brought the lead up to 7-1.
Another B-CU solo shot, this time in the top of the fifth off the bat of
Darryl Lee, made it a 7-2 deficit.
After a one-two-three fifth for the Eagles, the Wildcats quickly found themselves with two outs in the top of the sixth after a groundout and strikeout. From there,
Manny Souffrain and Martinez reached base on grounders through the right side before
Jeter Polledo made it 7-3 with an RBI knock.
Sergio Rivera loaded up the bases on an infield single, forcing FGCU to turn to the bullpen with Lee on deck. Down in the count 1-2, Lee sent a ball over the wall in right for his second homer of the night - and of the season - clearing the bases and tying things up at 7-7.
Still riding the momentum of the grand slam, the Wildcats poured on four more in the seventh, with RBI from
Jorge Rodriguez, Souffrain, and Rivera to make it an 11-7 lead.
Florida Gulf Coast homered again in the seventh, but the solo shot only cut the lead to 11-8.
An Eagle error in the eighth allowed
Armani Newton to score after a single, steal, and advance on a bunt, pushing the lead to 12-8.
The Eagles threatened in the ninth, plating one run after an error and RBI single. Another single put two on with two outs, but a lineout ended the contest with the Cats on top, 12-9.
Tanner Boccabello made the start, earning the win after six innings in which he allowed six earned runs on nine hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
Jean Carlos Zambrano earned his second save of the year after three innings of one-run ball with two strikeouts.
- Darryl Lee finished the game 3-5 with two runs scored, two homers, five RBI, and a walk.
- Andrey Martinez finished 2-5 with three runs scored and an RBI on the solo homer.
- Jorge Rodriguez has recorded a hit in five straight games.
- B-CU has officially tied its 2024 regular season home run total through only 14 games. B-CU managed only 14 in all of last season, with 15 thus far in 2025.
- Friday's win marks the third three-homer game of the season for B-CU - the Wildcats had not done it once in the regular season since 2023 prior to the start of this season.
- Five Wildcats have recorded multiple homers on the year matching last year's mark in the category.
Game two of the three-game weekend series is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, March 8 at Swanson Stadium.
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--#HailWildcats--
