The Wildcats temporarily pull into second place in the SWAC’s East division with a 4-1 team win over Florida A&M, Friday evening in Tallahassee.
How It Happened
For the fourth straight game, the Wildcats (24-28, 19-10 SWAC) cracked the scoreboard first, this time thanks to an RBI groundout from Jeremy Garcia that scored Irvin Escobar.
The Wildcats tacked on to their lead on a two-run single from Escobar in the top of the third that made it 3-0.
FAMU (25-28, 18-11 SWAC) scored their lone run in the bottom of the third on a solo homer to right field.
The Wildcats took that run right back in the fourth on an RBI groundout from Jan Reyes that made it 4-1. The B-CU bullpen took it from there and finished off the victory.
“Huge series win for our guys,” Wildcats head coach Jonathan Hernandez said after the game. “Our guys did what they had to do to get the win today. Offensively we capitalized all game and competed all afternoon. The series isn’t over. We have to come ready to play and finish the weekend.”
Nolan Santos made the start. He earned his sixth win of the season after six strong innings in which he allowed only a single run on the solo shot, on five hits, two walks, and six strikeouts.
Dale Michaud turned in two excellent innings in relief, walking one and striking out one.
Brenton Fisher earned his fifth save of the season after striking out the side in the ninth.
“This was a team win, but today it started with our pitching,” Hernandez said. “Santos gave us a great start and Michaud and Fisher did an excellent job closing things out for us.”
The win pushes the Wildcats in front of FAMU for second in the SWAC’s East division entering the final day of regular season play Saturday. The Wildcats must finish off the sweep if they are to stay in front, however, as FAMU would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with a win in the series finale.
Notes
- Malik Stephens’ on-base streak ends at 24 games after he was held in check Saturday.
- The longest reached-base streak now belongs to Manny Souffrain at 10 straight games.
- Irvin Escobar went 2-4 with a run scored and two RBI.
- A win in the series finale Saturday would push the Wildcats to 20 conference wins for the first time since the 2010 season