DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2016) – Bethune-Cookman scored seven runs over their final two innings to rally and beat North Carolina A&T 9-7 in MEAC baseball action Friday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Park. The two teams were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday but due to inclement weather there will be a Saturday doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.
The Aggies (5-18, 1-3 MEAC) will try to overcome the disappointment from losing a 7-2 lead going into the Wildcats seventh inning. But N.C. A&T's troubles started when right-hand starter Tevelle Clark hit Rakeem Quinn with a 2-2 pitch in the seventh. That was followed by an Aggies throwing error that allowed Jameel Edney to reach first and for Quinn to advance to third. The Aggies luck did not get any better as a wild pitch led to Quinn scoring and Edney moving to second.
Michael Cruz then earned a four-pitch walked which set up Danny Rodriguez's three-run home run to left field that brought the Wildcats (10-13, 3-4 MEAC) to within one at 7-6.
After Rodriguez cleared the bases, the Wildcats started another threat with two outs as Nathan Bond reached on a hit by pitch and Trent Nash singled. But Clark got Austin Garcia to pop up to the catcher for the third out as the Aggies were able to maintain their 1-run lead.
N.C. A&T's eighth saw the Aggies get a runner in scoring positon as junior Keenan Herring doubled. RHP Ivan Coutinho got Clary to line out before he was replaced with RHP Clint Clymer who struck out freshman Dawnoven Smith and got sophomore Forest Kimbrell to groundout to close out the Aggies eighth.
In the Wildcats eighth, the Aggies turned to RHP Robert Peck to close things out. Peck, coming off a big win against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, gave up a leadoff single to Demetrius Sims. A failed pickoff attempt allowed Sims to move to third which led to Quinn bringing home on a sacrifice fly to right field to tie the game at 7. After Edney was hit by a 3-2 pitch, Cruz stepped to the plate and hit the game-winning two-run home run as the Wildcats took a 9-7 lead.
The Aggies did get the go-ahead run to the plate against the Wildcats in the ninth with two outs. Junior Timothy Ravare hit a groundball to shortstop, however, that forced out pinch-runner Joey Hill at second to end the game. Clymer (1-2) picked up the win in relief while Peck (1-2) recorded the loss.
Junior Kyle Clary led the Aggies with a 2-for-3 that included three RBI. Sophomore Milton Rivera extended his hitting streak to seven by going 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Smith, who was 1-for-3 with two RBI on the day, picked up his two RBI in the third when he hit an inside-the-park home run in the third to score Clary who walked before his at-bat.
N.C. A&T took a 4-1 lead in the fourth when Clary's two-run RBI single scored senior Ryan Jantsch and sophomore Adan Ordonez. The Wildcats answered with a run in the fourth, but the Aggies would score a run apiece in the fifth and sixth to build their 7-2 advantage.
