ORMOND BEACH, Fla. — Following an important series victory over Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman will turn its attention to Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a weekend series at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex. The set begins with a double header Friday beginning at 1 p.m.



Friday & Saturday, May1-2
Opponent: Arkansas-Pine Bluff (19-27, 12-9)
Time: 1 p.m. (DH) | 1 p.m.
Location: Ormond Beach, Fla. | Ormond Beach Sports Complex
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/cateyenetwork
Listen: https://bcuathletics.com/sports/2024/11/13/Cateye-Network-Radio.aspx
Live Stats: https://bcuathletics.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

FIU opened the scoring in the first inning, capitalizing on a pair of baserunners and an error to take a 1-0 lead.

Bethune-Cookman (31-14, 17-4) answered in the second inning in unconventional fashion. After reaching base, Maikol Lucena stole home to tie the game at 1-1.

FIU regained the lead in the second on an RBI single from Marc Hersh, then broke the game open in the third inning. FIU plated three runs on a two-RBI double by Andrew Ildefonso and an RBI single from Aidan Cohall to extend the advantage to 5-1.

The Wildcats chipped away in the fourth when Erick Almonte scored on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Rodriguez to make it 5-2.

Bethune-Cookman continued to rally in the fifth inning. After a leadoff walk, Andrey Martinez blasted a two-run home run to cut the deficit to 5-4.

The Wildcats took their first lead of the game in the seventh. Christopher Watson tied the game with a solo home run before a sacrifice fly from Michael Rodriguez gave B-CU a 6-5 advantage.

FIU responded immediately in the bottom of the seventh as Mario Trivella hit a solo home run to even the score at 6-6.

The Panthers delivered the decisive blow in the eighth inning. With runners on base, Cooper Rasmussen singled to left field to drive in two runs and give FIU an 8-6 lead.

Bethune-Cookman was unable to mount a comeback in the ninth as FIU closed out the win. Jordan Vargas earned the victory in relief, while Gabriel Moorer was charged with the loss.

The Golden Lions currently sit seventh in the SWAC standings at 12-9. They are coming off a road sweep at the hands of the Southern Jaguars in which they allowed 37 runs. Prior to that, they achieved series victories over Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.

UAPB is a solid offensive team, ranking second in the conference in runs scored, fourth in batting average, and fourth in total games. They do not hit for a ton of power nor do they steal many bases. However, the Golden Lions strike out less than any other team and sit top five in walks and on-base percentage.

Fresham Aaron Grant is a player to watch in the UAPB lineup. He is hitting .356 with team-highs in home runs (6) and RBI (41). Zach Wieder sits right behind him wiht 38 RBI and ranks second in the SWAC with 14 doubles.

Despite the recent struggles, the pitching staff has also been strong this season. They sit third in the league in ERA, fifth in strikeouts, third in walks, and third in batting average allowed. Kenney Fabian leads the team with 60.1 innings pitched and 43 strikeouts.

• Jose Fernandez is on an 11-game hitting streak. He is now batting .355 on the season with a 1.037 OPS.
• Andrey Martinez has homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season.
• Michael Rodriguez leads the SWAC with a .560 on-base percentage.
• Darryl Lee tops the conference in doubles (15), runs scored (67), and walks (48).
• Jeter Polledo is first in the SWAC with 46 runs batted in and five triples.
• Edwin Sanchez leads the SWAC in ERA, opponent batting average, innings pitched, and wins.

Bethune-Cookman faced Arkansas-Pine Bluff for the first time last season, losing two of three in a series on the road.

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