April 26, 2009
Box Score
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Freshman third baseman Elliott Alston (Littleton, Colo.) went 2-for-3 but it wasn't enough as Bethune-Cookman defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team, 10-0, in eight innings at Hawks Stadium Sunday.
The Wildcats (24-21, 14-1 MEAC) led, 5-0, after two but UMES right-handed starter Karim Gonzalez (Mexico City, Mexico) was able to settle down in the middle innings to throw four consecutive zeros on the scoreboard before BCU put the game out of reach with another five runs in the seventh and eighth.
The loss drops the Hawks to 11-35 overall and 9-9 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, while the win gives the Wildcats a sweep of the weekend series.
Bethune-Cookman center fielder Patrick Jones was 3-for-4 with a run, RBI and two steals and first baseman Alejandro Jimenez hit a solo home run to right field as the second batter of the game to get the visitors going.
Sophomore designated hitter Bryan Chaikowsky (Bethlehem, Pa.) collected the only other base hit for the Hawks on the day, a single through the right side of the infield in the second inning. Tri-captain Phil Vaughn (Clinton, Md.) swiped his team-leading 21st base of the season in the sixth inning out of the ninth spot in the batting order for the first time this year.
Joseph Munoz improved 3-5 on the hill for BCU with the shutout. He threw six innings, walked one and struck out four facing just one batter over the minimum. Gonzalez fell to 2-6 after allowing eight runs - all earned - and 13 hits in 6.1 innings of work. He struck out three and didn't walk anyone.
Building on its 1-0 advantage in the second, BCU loaded the bases on a hit batsman and two straight singles with no one out. A third consecutive base hit through the left side from Alejandro Sanchez scored both Emmanuel Castro and Chris Brown to make it 3-0.
After a passed ball put runners on second and third, Jones singled which brought Drew Clark in with the fourth run of the game. C.J. Lauriello made it 5-0 when his popup was lost in the sun over second base.
The Wildcats didn't score again until the seventh when they tacked on three more for an 8-0 lead. Lauriello was plunked by a pitch and stole two bases in between a flyout to right by Jeremy Davis. Ryan Durrence then came up with a single back through the middle to score Lauriello. He swiped second and came around on a Justin Hoyte pinch-hit single to center. Aaron Patterson closed the scoring in the frame with a pinch-hit RBI double with two outs.
The game ended in the eighth when BCU pushed across two more, both on walks by Carl Huber (Mount Airy, Md.) with the bases juiced to Hoyte and Vincent. Castro.
Bethune-Cookman tallied 17 hits on the day and outhit UMES, 50-14, for the series.
The Hawks close out a four-game series with Mount Saint Mary's begun in March with a doubleheader in Emmitsburg, Md., Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
