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Walk-off Homerun Ends Wildcats Hopes for Victory against Michigan, 7-6
Bethune-Cookman swept in baseball series for first time since 2006
versus Miami (PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. –) Bethune-Cookman’s Concepción Guzmán (Gurabo, P.R.) threw a high fastball and Michigan centerfielder Eric Rose blasted a walk-off homerun to left field to give the Wolverines a dramatic 7-6 win over the Wildcats on Sunday in order to sweep the three-game series at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The 13-inning affair was the longest game in recorded history for B-CC. Fans, Michigan players/coaches and the crowd of 1,007 left Tradition Field at the New York Mets spring training facility on Sunday saying just one line, “That was a CLASSIC!” That is, all except one team and one man … Bethune-Cookman head coach Mervyl Melendez and his Wildcats. For the second time in as many years, the Wildcats fell in an extra-inning game to a Big Ten opponent—B-CC lost to Penn State last season 6-5 in the 11th inning. Bethune-Cookman (5-6) left an unprecedented 18 men on the base path stranded in the contest, including 10 from the ninth inning through the 13th. Twice during that stretch, the ‘Cats either had runners on second and third, or the bases were loaded altogether. The bases were full of Wildcats in the top of the 12th inning with just one out before Michigan (3-0) pitcher Mike Wilson struck out back-to-back batters in the form of sophomore outfielder Patrick Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.) and senior second baseman Spencer Hill (Miami, Fla.). That’s when Eric Rose led off the 13th frame with a full-count, walk-off homerun to end the game off Guzman. For Guzman, it was his second loss in a row in games where he earned a decision. B-CC and Michigan never had an open frame where one team scored and the other failed to answer … that is until the final frame. With the ‘Cats trailing 3-2 in the top of the eighth inning, a furious two-out rally would pursue that would see B-CC jump on top 6-3 in a frame that will certainly go down in the B-CC record books. Catcher Drew Clark (Deltona, Fla.) started off the rally with a single to third base and Patrick Jones would walk to put a runner in scoring position. That runner would be junior Devin Conner (Avon Park, Fla.) who entered the game as a pinch runner for Clark. Ben Jenzen would toe the rubber in for Michigan in relief of Mike Dufek to face-off against B-CC batter Spencer Hill. Before a walk would be issued to Hill on a full count, Jones and Conner would each move up a base on a passed ball by backup catcher Doug Pickens. With the bases loaded for one of two times on the day for the ‘Cats, centerfielder José Ortiz-Rivera (Juncos, P.R.) delivered a clutch 0-2 double down the left field line to clear the bases for everyone but himself to put B-CC ahead 5-3. Ortiz-Rivera would later score as he advanced two bases on back-to-back wild pitches from Jenzen. That allowed B-CC take a 6-3 lead into the bottom-half of the eighth inning. But the Michigan Wolverines proved to be the peskiest team thus far on the year for the ‘Cats as they tacked on three runs in the inning to knot the score at 6-6. Pickens’ RBI double to right center off relief hurler Phil Enright (Deltona, Fla.) plated Nate Recknagel, and pinch hitter Kevin Cislo got a hold of Francisco Gomez (Barquisimeto, Venezuela) off-speed pitch right in his wheel house for a two-run scoring single right back up the middle. Gomez was on in relief of Enright, but only succeeded in securing his second blown save of the campaign after collecting a national ninth-place tying 11 last year with just one blown save for the season. With the score tied at 606 after eight innings, both teams would threaten through four more full innings before the “shot heard round Port St. Lucie” was delivered by Rose. B-CC has the most chances for victory, but poor base running and a lack of power hitting proved to be costly today. The ‘Cats, pronounced to be one of the best hitting teams in the entire MEAC [Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference] coming into the season, managed just 12 hits through the first two games of the series before totaling 11 on Sunday. B-CC came into the series against the Wolverines averaging 10.3 hits per contest with four (4) games where they secured double-digits in the hit department. The win went to Michigan’s Wilson who earned a 1-0 start to the season out of the bullpen, while Guzman dropped to 0-1 in his fourth appearance on the hill this year … all in relief work, of course. Michigan third baseman Adam Abraham led the Wolverines at the plate with a 3-for-6 day at the plate, including one run and an RBI. Rose chipped in with two hits and two RBI in six trips to the plate. The Wildcats of B-CC were sparked with the bat by right fielder Angel Mercado as he went 3-for-6 on the afternoon—stretching into evening by game’s end. Also collecting solid at bats were José Ortiz-Rivera (3 RBI, 2 runs), Luis Gonzalez (Cayey, P.R.) with a 2-for-5 effort and designated hitter Angel Negron (Maunabo, P.R.) with two hits including an RBI in three at-bats. The Wildcats have now been swept in a three-game series for the first time since facing Miami in a three-game stretch last year in Coral Gables, Fla. After winning four of their first six games to start the year, the ‘Cats have now hit a slump in which they have fallen in five of their last six contests. They will look to turn it around on Tuesday when they host Stetson University at 6 p.m. in the first contest all season long at Jackie Robinson Ballpark for Bethune-Cookman. Stetson took the last game between these two teams just under two weeks ago by a 13-6 decision just down the road, staying in Volusia County, in DeLand. --BCC--
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