It took the full nine innings, but B-CU emerged victorious in the game and the series as the Wildcats defeated Alabama A&M, 6-2, Friday afternoon in Huntsville, Ala.
How It Happened
The Wildcats (15-19, 9-5 SWAC) fell in a hole early as Alabama A&M (5-23, 3-11 SWAC) quickly made it 1-0 on an RBI single in the first inning.
It took until the fifth for the Wildcats to tie things up as Malik Stephens sent his first homer of the season over the wall in left center to knot things at one.
The Bulldogs took the lead right back two innings later on a solo homer of their own.
With six hits and only a single run to show for it heading into the ninth, things looked bleak for B-CU. It did not take long for the Wildcats to reverse their fortunes. Irvin Escobar led of the ninth with a double and Brian Perez immediately tied things up with a two-bagger of his own to lock things at 2-2.
B-CU did not stop there. Gaylen Rutledge singled two batters later, scoring Perez. The Wildcats loaded the bases on a single and a hit batter, and Rutledge came around to score on a wild pitch. Matthew Garcia made it 6-4 with a single that scored two.
“These guys don’t give in,” Wildcats head coach Jonathan Hernandez said after the game. “We put together some really good at-bats in the ninth – I’m proud of the way our guys responded.”
Nolan Santos got the win. He threw eight innings, allowed only two runs on four hits. For the second time this season, he walked no batters. Santos also notched his third double-digit strikeout effort this season with 11 Ks.
“Santos pitched very well today,” Hernandez said. “He gave us a chance all day. He did a great job attacking the strike zone and putting us in position to win.”
“The series is clinched but our job isn’t done,” Hernandez continued. “We have to be ready to compete again tomorrow and build on the success we’ve had this weekend.”
Notes
- Only one Wildcat starter did not record a hit in the contest.
- Brian Perez extended his on-base streak to 19 games
- Matthew Garcia’s on-base streak reaches 18 after two hits today.
- Franki Febles follows closely behind as he pads on to a 14-game reached-base streak
- Another two-hit, two-RBI game makes it a team-best 13 multi-hit games for Garcia. He ties Franki Febles for the team lead in multi-RBI games at six.