DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Bethune-Cookman rallied from an eight-run deficit to defeat Florida Gulf Coast 9-8 Sunday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Michael Rodriguez drove in the winning runs with a walk-off two-run single in the ninth.
FGCU (12-4) jumped out early, scoring four runs in the first inning and four more in the second to take an 8-0 lead. Evan Dempsey highlighted the surge with two doubles and four RBIs, while Cole Lasher collected four hits.
Bethune-Cookman (10-6) began chipping away in the third. Jose Fernandez delivered the biggest swing of the inning, blasting a grand slam to left field to cut the deficit to 8-4.
The Wildcats continued to close the gap as Darryl Lee homered in the fifth and Ruben Zuany added a solo shot in the sixth to make it 8-6.
Meanwhile, B-CU relievers Anthony Anselmo and Andris Borroso put together excellent outings out of the bullpen to give the Wildcats a chance to comeback. The pair threw seven shutout innings with six strikeouts.
The Eagles had a chance to add insurance runs in the ninth inning, getting runners over to second and third with just one out. But Pablo Torres induced back-to-back popouts to eliminate the threat.
Bethune-Cookman finished off the comeback in the ninth. Erick Almonte opened the inning with a double and scored on Jeter Polledo's RBI single to pull within one. Following a walk to load the bases, Michael Rodriguez lined a two-run single to right field to bring home the tying and winning runs.
Pablo Torres (2-0) earned the win in relief after tossing a scoreless ninth, while Ashton Pocol (2-1) took the loss for FGCU.
- Michael Rodriguez's game-winning hit gave the Wildcats their third walk off win of the season.
- The Eagles out-hit the Wildcats 13-11 but left 12 runners on base.
- Jose Fernandez hit B-CU's first grand slam of the season.
- Erick Almonte finished 2-for-5 with two doubles.
- Darryl Lee went 2-for-4, hitting his first home run of the season while scoring three runs.
- Reuben Zuany hit his first home run of his college career.
- Anthony Anselmo, Andris Borroso, and Pablo Torres combined to throw eight shutout innings out of the pen.
Bethune-Cookman travels to Jacksonville to take on the Eagle's ASUN rival, the North Florida Ospreys. The midweeker is set to begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday night.
Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter/X and Instagram (@BCUDiamondCats) and for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics) and www.bcuathletics.com.
--#HailWildcats--
