TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Wildcats and Rattlers will add another chapter to their classic rivalry this weekend with a pivotal series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The winner will emerge as the sole top seed in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).



Tuesday, April 24-26
Opponent: Florida A&M (20-17, 15-3)
Time: 5 p.m. | 2 p.m. | 1 p.m.
Location: Tallahassee, Fla. | Moore-Kittles Field
Watch: https://tv.swac.org/
Live Stats: https://famuathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Bethune-Cookman (29-12) struck first in the opening inning when Andrey Martinez launched a solo home run to left. The Wildcats added another run on an RBI double by Maikol Lucena to take a 2-0 lead.

UCF responded with a run in the second and took a 3-2 advantage in the fourth behind RBI singles from Jacobs and Smith.

The Wildcats regained the lead in the sixth, scoring twice on an RBI single by Jorge Rodriguez and a sacrifice fly from Jose Fernandez.

Trailing 4-3 entering the eighth, UCF (22-15) capitalized on timely hitting to take the lead for good. After a leadoff single and a walk, Zak Skinner delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring Cayden Gaskin and Andrew Williamson to put the Knights ahead 5-4.

Bethune-Cookman threatened in the ninth with a leadoff single, but a pickoff and two groundouts ended the game.

Pablo Torres (2-1) was charged with the loss for Bethune-Cookman after surrendering the go-ahead runs in the eighth.

The Rattlers hold the same conference record as the Wildcats at 15-3. They are coming off a series sweep over Mississippi Valley State in which they scored 34 runs. FAMU is 13-8 at home this season.

Florida A&M is a middling offensive team, They rank ninth in the SWAC in runs, sixth in batting average, and just 11th in hits. They also sit eighth in on-base percentage and tenth in walks. The Rattlers have shown good vision at the plate though, ranking third in strikeouts.

Jay Campbell has been FAMU's best hitter this season. The sophomore is batting .324 with four home runs and a team-high 34 RBI. William Brown leads the squad with seven home runs.

The pitching staff has been the team's strength this season, sitting third in the league in ERA and second in batting average allowed. They also walk batters less than any other team.

Caleb Granger leads the staff with 61.0 innings pitched. He is 5-2 with a 4.87 ERA and has collected 55 strikeouts to just 15 walks. Tanner Walker has been excellent out of the bullpen, allowing just seven runs in 35.1 innings.

• Edwin Sanchez remains undefeated in SWAC play (5-0).
• Bethune-Cookman ranks first in the league in runs, hits, and total bases.
• Maikol Lucena has improved his batting average to .345 after hits in six straight games. He has also thrown out 20 of 20 potential base stealers.
• Andrey Martinez is on a 14-game hitting streak. He has homered in four of his last eight games.
• Bryon Rincones has pitched three-straight scoreless outings out of the bullpen with five strikeouts.

Friday will mark the 189th all-time meeting between the two baseball programs. The Wildcats have historically dominated the series and are currently on a seven-game winning streak against the Rattlers.

Follow Bethune-Cookman Baseball on Twitter (@BCUDiamondCats) 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.