April 24, 2010

Box Score

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) and Florida A&M University (FAMU) split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Saturday afternoon, with FAMU winning the opener, 5-4, before the Hawks rallied late to win the nightcap, 15-9.

Saturday's doubleheader featured the two teams at the bottom of the conference standings heading into the second half of the league title chase, and the split left the pair in the same spots as night fell.

Homestanding FAMU (8-25-1, 1-10) remained in seventh place, while visiting UMES (3-34, 2-11) retained their hold on sixth place.

In the opener, FAMU starter Heath Blackburn (2-6) went the distance for the victory, fanning seven and walking just one, while allowing four runs on six hits in nine innings of work. UMES reliever Donnie Haines (0-4) took the loss after yielding the winning run in the ninth.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, the Rattlers struck for three runs, chasing Hawks' starter Tony Gonzales, who worked into the final frame, after allowing 10 hits and three runs with five strikeouts in eight innings.

Gonzales issued a leadoff walk to Scott Sheplak to start the Rattler ninth inning before being lifted for reliever Matt Witte, who walked Reginald Grant.

UMES third baseman Elliott Alston misplayed Jared Jeffries bunt attempt, allowing him to reach safely and load the bases. Sheplak scored from third on a wild pitch by Witte for a 4-3 score, with the runners moving up 90 feet.

Oscar Santalo followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Grant for a tie game, 4-4. Darryl Evans was then intentionally walked to set up a potential double play, but Derrick Shaw's sacrifice fly to right was deep enough to score Jeffries from third with the game winning run.

FAMU finished the game with 10 hits, led by Jeffries, who had three hits, a home run and a pair of RBIs, along with Evans and Justin Abney, who had two hits apiece.

Donnie Haines led UMES with two hits, both of the extra base variety - a double and a home run - and a run driven in.

In the second game UMES outhit FAMU, 13-9, led by Bryan Chaikowsky's four hits and four RBIs, followed by two hits and two RBIs each from Elliott Alston and Shaquille Bagwell.

Reginald Grant and Derrick Shaw each had two hits for FAMU, which overcame a 6-1 deficit with a seven-run rally in the bottom of the fourth to seize an 8-6 advantage. RBI hits by Shaw, Jeffries and Darius Washington, along with a three-run homer by Scott Sheplak were the key blows for the Rattlers.

That lead was short-lived however, as UMES scored two runs in the top of the fifth on Bagwell's two-run single, to tie the game at 8-8, before FAMU regained the lead at 9-8 in the bottom of the inning when pinch runner Daniel Lee scored from third on a throwing error.

The Hawks tied the count at 9-9 in the top of the sixth when Chaikowsky, who reached on a leadoff single, scored from third on a wild pitch off FAMU reliever Courtney Goner (0-2), who took the loss.

In the seventh, the Hawks plated six runs on just two hits, with the key blows being a two-run single by Donnie Haines and a two-run homer to left by Alston.

Matt Witte (2-4), who came on in relief of starter John DesChamps in the fourth, worked three and two-thirds innings, the final two frames scoreless, with three strikeouts and one walk, while scattering three hits.

FAMU and UMES will wrap up the three-game weekend series Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

This story appears compliments of FAMU Media Relations