PINE BLUFF, Ark. - For the first time in program history, Bethune-Cookman will face off against Arkansas - Pine Bluff as they face the Golden Lions on the road this weekend - April 25-27 - at Torii Hunter Baseball Complex.




Friday-Saturday, April 25-27
Opponent: UAPB (11-28, 9-6 SWAC)
Time: 4pm | 3pm | 2pm (All times EST)
Location: Pine Bluff, Ark. | Torii Hunter Baseball Complex
Live Stats: https://uapblionsroar.com/sidearmstats/baseball/



 After some Jeter Polledo heroics sent the Wildcats to extras, Andrey Martinez's walkoff double clinched B-CU's second midweek win of the season with a 10-9 win over USF, Wednesday evening at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

USF got on the board in the first with back-to-back walks to open the game, followed by a sacrifice fly to open things up at 1-0, Bulls

Bethune-Cookman responded in the bottom of the second, as Jose Fernandez was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a Polledo sacrifice fly. After the Bulls turned to the pen for the second time on the night, Sergio Rivera singled to left to score Chris Watson and take the 2-1 lead. 

The Bulls grabbed the lead back a half-inning later again thanks to some free passes - a walk and a hit batter - as a groundout and B-CU error allowed USF to move in front again at 3-2.

The lead changed hands again in the bottom of the third as Jesus Vanegas tied things with a solo shot hooking around the left field foul pole to make it 3-3. Polledo plated two more with an RBI single to give the Cats the lead at 5-3.

The two teams traded runs in the fourth - USF via an RBI single, B-CU on a double steal with Sergio Rivera breaking for home and scoring without a throw from second.

As the B-CU offense sputtered in the middle innings, USF put up a four-spot in the seventh to go up 8-6, again with help from a B-CU error.

The Bulls looked poised to run away with things in the eighth as they led off the inning with a little league home run thanks to a cacophony of B-CU errors that made it 9-6.

Rivera gave the Cats life again in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to left to make it 97. 

Marcos Gamboa, making his first appearance since the second weekend of the season out of the bullpen, worked around a one-out single with a strike-em-out throw-em-out double play to set the Cats up with a chance to extend the game in the bottom of the ninth down 9-7.

The ninth began with Jorge Rodriguez taking a ball to the back for a free base before Jorge Gonzalez Febo singled on the infield to make it two-on, no outs. 

Irvin Escobar dropped down an excellent pinch hit, sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position before Armani Newton pulled B-CU to within one on a sacrifice fly.

Jeter Polledo, down to his final strike, sent a single right up the middle to tie things at nine and send the game to extras. 

Gamboa worked out of trouble again in the tenth, stranding two Bulls baserunners.

Darryl Lee walked to open the bottom of the tenth. Andrey Martinez quickly ended things with a ball to the wall in left center to walk it off for the 10-9 win. 

Logan Wirt made the start, with Brandon Vazquez, Carlos Jazmin, and Sebastian Garrido all appearing out of the pen in relief. 

Gamboa earned his first win of the season after two innings of scoreless ball in which he allowed two hits and a walk with a strikeout.



UAPB is 11-28 on the year, currently sitting in the SWAC's No. 6 seed with a 9-6 conference record. The Golden Lions swept through Southern at home last weekend, and Texas Southern on the road the weekend before, before a run-rule loss at Central Arkansas in the midweek. 

The Golden Lions rank middle of the pack in the conference offensively, hitting .288 as a team with just 13 homers. Freshman outfielder Eli Gries-Smith leads the way offensively for UAPB with 34 RBI on a .384 average and a pair of homers. Senior infielder Jesus Riera leads his team in long balls with five. 

On the mound, UAPB is fifth in the SWAC with a team ERA of 8.40 with 178 strikeouts to 222 walks. Friday starter, junior righty Kenney Fabian, has a season ERA of 4.35 with 33 strikeouts to 21 walks.

• B-CU pitching leads the SWAC in ERA, strikeouts, K/BB ratio, and batting average against.
• The Wildcats have 62 homers as a team - best in the SWAC and best as a team since the Wildcats hit 90 as a team in 2010.
• The Wildcats lead the SWAC in runs scored, doubles, triples, homers, total bases, slugging, and hit-by-pitch. 

Friday marks the first-ever meeting between UAPB and B-CU in the history of the two baseball programs. 

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