HUNTSVILLE, Ala.. - Three home runs in the second gave the Wildcats a lead they never relinquished as they made it five straight conference wins with a 9-3 rout of Alabama A&M, Saturday afternoon at Bulldog Field.
Bethune-Cookman (19-16, 12-2 SWAC) starter
Joel Core worked around an early threat as the Cats stranded two Bulldog runners in the bottom of the first.
The Wildcats jumped on the scoreboard in the second as
Armani Newton sent out his sixth home run of the season to right to take an early 1-0 lead.
Jeter Polledo and
Darryl Lee followed suit, each with two-run bombs as the Cats lead grew to 5-0.
Jorge Rodriguez capped off the frame with a two-out RBI single to make it 6-0.
A B-CU hit-by-pitch and walk put two on in the third, but a flyout ended the threat.
Alabama A&M (9-25, 2-12 SWAC) got on the board in the third with back-to-back base hits to lead off the inning. an RBI single made it 6-1 before two straight walks loaded up the bases and plated a run to cut the lead to 6-2. Core forced a fielder's choice for the third out to prevent further damage.
A Bulldog leadoff solo shot in the fourth made it 6-3, but that would be the final run AAMU would manage.
B-CU took two more in the fifth, all with two outs, after two hit batters, a walk, and a bases-loaded passed ball allowed
Sergio Rivera and
Reinaldo Plascencia to score to make it 8-3.
The Wildcats added a ninth run in the sixth thanks to another hit batter as
Jorge Rodriguez came in to score after a
Jesus Vanegas double and passed ball.
AAMU put runners on in every inning to close out the game, but the B-CU bullpen held strong for the 9-3 final.
Joel Core took a no-decision in a start in which he pitched 4.1 innings, allowing three runs - all earned - on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Jean Carlos Zambrano earned his fourth win of the year after 1.2 innings of scoreless ball in which he walked just one batter and struck out one.
Robert Lastra grabbed his second save of the season after three innings in which he allowed only two hits with a pair of strikeouts.
- The Wildcats now sit atop the SWAC in homers with 46. It is the highest total for a Wildcat team since B-CU hit 90 as a squad in 2010.
- Saturday marks the tenth three-homer game of the season for B-CU. They have not had a game of more than three homers this season.
- Eight Wildcats recorded a hit in the game, but no Wildcat had multiple hits.
- B-CU stranded 11 Bulldog runners.
The Wildcats will look for their second consecutive SWAC sweep Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.
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--#HailWildcats--
