April 30, 2010
Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman pitchers Ali Simpson and Gabriel Hernandez allowed two runs on 11 hits over 13 innings as the Wildcats swept the University of Maryland Eastern Shore baseball team in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader, 11-1 and 12-1 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark Friday.
Simpson (6-1) scattered five hits and one walk while striking out seven in six innings and Hernandez (4-3) threw a seven-inning complete game, giving up six hits and one walk while striking out five.
Ryan Durrence and D.J. Leonard supplied the B-CU (28-18, 14-0 MEAC) offense, each hitting 5-for-8 with three runs scored. UMES (5-37, 3-13) was led by Elliott Alston (Littleton, Colo.), who was 3-for-6 with a run.
B-CU got on the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the first. Justin Hoyte singled to start the inning, stole second and scored on a Ryan Durrence double down the left-field line.
The Wildcats made it 4-0 in the second, taking advantage of three UMES errors, two of which came from freshman left fielder Tre-Von Johnson (East New Market, Md.). B-CU scored two more in the third with two outs. Emmanuel Castro singled up the middle and came home when D.J. Leonard tripled to center field. The Hawks' infield lost a Jeremy Davis popup in the wind to bring in the sixth run.
Down, 7-0, in the fifth, The Hawks cut into the lead. Freshman Lucas Koenig (Berlin, Md.) led off the frame with a single to center and went to second on a Simpson wild pitch. After a pair of strikeouts, senior Phil Vaughn (Clinton, Md.) singled home Koenig.
Hoyte homered to left-center field, highlighting a three-run bottom of the inning with two out to push the score to 10-1 and Peter O'Brien added an RBI double in the sixth to put the MEAC-mandated run rule into effect.
The second game was much of the same as the Wildcats scored at least a run in four of their six at-bats. B-CU built and 7-0 advantage and tallied to five more in the fifth before UMES scraped together a run in the seventh.
Alston singled to right with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch after Bryan Chaikowsky (Bethlehem, Pa.) struck out. Shaquille Bagwell (Atlantic, Va.) followed with a walk. Alston then scored on a throwing error by O'Brien behind the plate.
Tony Gonzales (New Brunfels, Texas) and John DesChamps (Virginia Beach, Va.) took the losses on the mound for UMES. Gonzales (1-8) went the entire way in Game 1, giving up seven earned runs on 15 hits and one walk. He struck out two.
DesChamps went four before giving way to Matt Witte (Westminster, Md.) and Carl Huber (Mount Airy, Md.). DesChamps (1-8) surrendered seven earned, walking two and striking out two.
The teams close the series Saturday at 1 p.m.
