TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A&M used a late offensive surge to outlast Bethune-Cookman 15-13 in a high-scoring affair at Moore-Kittles Stadium

Bethune-Cookman (31-13, 17-4) struck first in the opening inning. After a leadoff walk by Darryl Lee, Andrey Martinez launched a two-run home run to right field to give the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.

Florida A&M (21-19, 16-5) quickly answered in the bottom half of the first. The Rattlers strung together three hits, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Ethan Miller and a two-RBI single by Alex Monile, to take a 4-2 lead.

The Rattlers added to their advantage in the second inning. Jay Campbell delivered an RBI triple before Jackson McKenzie followed with a two-run home run, extending the lead to 7-2.

Bethune-Cookman chipped away in the third inning, capitalizing on defensive miscues to plate two runs and cut the deficit to 7-4. The Wildcats continued their comeback in the fourth, as RBI hits from Jorge Rodriguez and Darryl Lee helped B-CU score three runs and trim the lead to 8-7.

Florida A&M pushed the lead back to three runs with a pair of runs in the sixth inning, taking a 10-7 advantage.

The Wildcats responded with their biggest inning of the day in the seventh. Taking advantage of walks and hit batters, Bethune-Cookman scored six runs, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Jose Fernandez, to take a 13-10 lead.

Florida A&M answered once again in the eighth inning. The Rattlers rallied for five runs, fueled by a three-RBI double from William Brown and an RBI double by Jay Campbell, to reclaim a 15-13 lead.

Bethune-Cookman was unable to mount another comeback in the ninth as Florida A&M closed out the win. Cody Williams earned the victory in relief, while Pablo Torres was charged with the loss.

• Andrey Martinez hit his 50th career home run.
• Darryl Lee led the Wildcats with three RBI.
• Christopher Watson and Erick Almonte finished with two hits.
• The Rattlers out-hit the Wildcats 13 to 10.
• As a team, B-CU struck out just once.

The Wildcats will make their second trip to Miami for a midweek matchup with the FIU Panthers. First pitch is slated for Tuesday at 6 p.m. EST.
 

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--#HailWildcats--