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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman baseball hits the road for the first time this season, traveling south to face the Miami Hurricanes under the lights at Alex Rodriguez Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday night.
Wednesday, March 4
Opponent: Miami (Fla.) (10-2)
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Coral Gables, Fla. | Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field
Watch: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=7fdd7580-c260-4679-8b0c-a4dbbc32412f
Listen: https://www.wvum.org/listen
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=646285
Tickets: Baseball vs. Bethune – Cookman | University of Miami
Bethune-Cookman defeated Delaware State twice on Sunday, completing a four-game sweep over the weekend.
Game One
The Wildcats scored in five consecutive innings from the second through the sixth, including a four-run fifth and a five-run sixth, to overcome an early deficit and secure the victory.
Delaware State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and added another run in the second on a sacrifice fly from R. Lewis. The Hornets extended their lead to 5-4 in the fourth behind RBI efforts from Carter Boyd and Alec Rodriguez.
After tying the game at 3-3 in the second on a two-run single by Erick Almonte, the Wildcats took their first lead in the third when Jorge Rodriguez doubled home Jeter Polledo. Delaware State briefly regained the advantage in the fourth, but the Wildcats evened the score at 5-5 in the bottom half on an RBI single by Darryl Lee.
With the score tied in the fifth, Michael Rodriguez delivered an RBI single to give the Wildcats a 6-5 edge. A wild pitch, a throwing error and an RBI single from Jacob Estrada helped B-CU push across four runs in the inning to take control at 9-5.
The Wildcats broke it open in the sixth. Jorge Rodriguez laced an RBI double down the left-field line, Maikol Lucena followed with a run-scoring single and Erick Almonte capped the inning with a two-run single up the middle, stretching the lead to 14-7.
Almonte finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs and a run scored to pace the offense. J. Rodriguez added two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Lucena scored three times and drove in one. Bethune-Cookman drew 10 walks and was hit by four pitches in the win.
On the mound, Andris Barroso (1-2) earned the victory in relief, allowing two runs over 3.1 innings. Frank Perez closed the game with two innings of relief.
Delaware State collected 14 hits, led by Rosnell Lewis, who went 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Jaryn Sample added a solo home run in the ninth.
Bethune-Cookman finished with 11 hits and stranded seven runners, while Delaware State left 12 on base.
Game Two
The Wildcats (9-3) scored in four consecutive innings from the third through the sixth while their pitching staff combined on a two-hit shutout.
After two scoreless frames to open the game, Bethune-Cookman broke through in the third. Erick Almonte and Darryl Lee set the table before Jeter Polledo delivered an RBI single. Jorge Rodriguez followed with a run-scoring base hit, and aggressive baserunning, including a stolen base and a throwing error, helped the Wildcats build a 4-0 lead.
The Wildcats blew the game open in the fourth. Sergio Rivera sparked the rally with a single and later scored on a throwing error. Darryl Lee doubled, and Jorge Rodriguez and Maikol Lucena each drove in runs with singles. A hit-by-pitch and a two-run single from Michael Rodriguez extended the advantage to 10-0 by the end of the inning.
B-CU added three more runs in the fifth. Rodriguez continued his strong night with another RBI single, and Christopher Watson delivered a pinch-hit RBI knock to push the lead to 13-0. The Wildcats capped the scoring in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Jean Carlos Chicano.
Rodriguez paced the offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Lee finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three runs scored, while Polledo reached base three times and scored three runs. The Wildcats totaled 13 hits and drew six walks while taking advantage of four Delaware State errors.
On the mound, Michael Benedict (1-0) earned the win with four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five. Pablo Torres, David Morrissey and Bryon Rincones combined to close out the shutout, striking out four over the final three frames.
Delaware State (0-11) managed just two hits and struck out nine times as Bethune-Cookman secured its ninth win of the season.
.The Miami Hurricanes are 10-2 on the season, including a 9-2 record at Alex Rodriguez Park. They began the season 10-0 before dropping their last two games to the ninth-ranked Florida Gators.
The Canes have been led offensively by Derek Williams. The senior outfielder has gotten off to an outrageous start, hitting .550 with a .623 on-base percentage and a 1.050 slugging. He is second on the team in home runs (5), first in RBI (19), first in doubles (5), and first in total bases (42).
As a team, Miami has hit 29 home runs, which ranks second in Division I behind only the Georgia Bulldogs. They also rank second in hits and runs scored behind Georgia Tech, fourth in slugging percentage, and tenth in batting average.
On the pitching side, the Hurricanes have accumulated a 4.25 team ERA with 152 strikeouts to just 37 walks. Miami has started six different pitchers this season, including AJ Ciscar, who has recorded a 3.00 ERA and has yet to walk a batter in 18.0 innings.
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The Wildcats tallied 52 hits and 57 runs in their four-game sweep of Delaware State.
Darryl Lee finished 10-for-14 with five doubles, a triple, and two walks over the weekend, pushing his batting average to .447 on the season.
Maikol Lucena is on a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .351 on the year.
Jose Fernandez is currently on a seven-game hitting streak. He has collected eight hits over that stretch.
B-CU pitching produced two shutouts against the Hornets.
.The Hurricanes hold a substantial edge against the Wildcats all-time 36-7. The most recent victory for B-CU over Miami came in 2024, which snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series.
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–#HailWildcats—