TALLAHASSEE, FL —Senior Caleb Granger had everything working on Thursday, striking out 10 Jackson State hitters over seven innings of work to help propel the Florida A&M Rattlers over the Tigers 10-1.
In addition to his 10 strikeouts, Granger (4-2) went seven shutout innings while giving up two hits and walking none for Florida A&M (10-16, 5-2). Junior Cody Williams also made an impact on the mound for the Rattlers, throwing two innings, giving up one run on two hits, with no walks and three strikeouts.
At the plate, the Rattlers were paced by senior Sebastian Greico, who went 2-for-4 on the day with a double, a home run, a walk and an RBI. Senior Ty Jackson put together a noteworthy effort as well, going 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI. Senior Jalen Niles also helped out for Florida A&M, putting together three hits in five trips to the plate while adding three RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Rattlers got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the bottom the first inning with the game still scoreless. Jackson came across to score the lone run of the inning for Florida A&M and get them on the board.
The Tigers failed to push any runs across before the Rattlers built on their lead in the fourth inning. Florida A&M picked up two runs when a single from Niles scored Greico and junior Jakoby Stanley, which brought the score to 3-0 in favor of the Rattlers.
Florida A&M kept Jackson State scoreless before expanding their lead to 4-0 the following inning. The Rattlers scored once on an RBI single off the bat of Stanley.
Florida A&M kept the Tigers scoreless before building on their lead in the seventh inning. The three-run fram for the Rattlers was puncuated by a two-RBI double from Jackson. bringing the Florida A&M advantage to 7-0.
Jackson State got within 7-1 until the Rattlers scored again in the eighth inning to stretch its lead to 10-1. Florida A&M scored three runs in the frame, buoyed by a two-run single off the bat of Niles. The score remained 10-1 for the rest of the game, as the Rattlers coasted to the win.
GAME NOTES
» Florida A&M got three-hit games from three different hitters.
» Granger struck out 10 Tigers hitters.
» The Rattlers power output was led by Greico, who picked up two extra base hits in the ballgame.
» Every Florida A&M starter reached base safely in the win.
» The Florida A&M pitching staff combined to strike out 13 Jackson State hitters.
» Florida A&M’s highest scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed three runs across.
» Florida A&M took a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first and didn’t surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» Granger put together seven innings of shutout ball for the Rattlers.
» Six Rattlers had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Rattlers had a total of 17 hits.
» The Rattlers out-hit the Tigers at a 17-4 clip.
» Florida A&M went 6-for-16 (.375) with runners in scoring position.
» The Rattlers got two hits in five at-bats with the bases loaded.
» Florida A&M pitchers faced 32 Jackson State hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and six fly balls while striking out 13.
» The Rattlers drew five walks from Jackson State pitching.
» Greico led the Rattlers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and an RBI.
» Jackson State was led offensively by junior Jordan McCladdie, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI.
» Senior CJ Lewis led the Tigers pitching staff, throwing 1.1 shutout innings.
Source: Florida A&M University Athletic Communications