FAMU Rattlers Split MEAC Doubleheader With NCCU Eagles

COURTESY FAMU SPORTS INFORMATION

Rattlers romp 13-5 in opener; Eagles take second game, 6-5 in nine innings

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (March 22) – The Florida A&M University Rattler Baseball team split a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader with visiting North Carolina Central Saturday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field, winning the opener, 13-5, before dropping the nightcap, 6-5 in extra innings.

@ FAMU (7-14, 4-4 in MEAC) unleashed an 18-hit attack in the first game, led by Bennie Robinson, Marlon Gibbs and Jared Walker with three hits and a run batted in each, along with two hits apiece by Michael Birdsong, Kendal Weeks and Jeremy Barlow. Weeks drove in a team-high three runs, while Birdsong drove in another.

The Rattlers led 3-0 in the fifth before scoring four runs to forge a 7-0 lead, but NCCU (9-13, 6-5 in MEAC) scored four runs in the sixth to slice the FAMU margin to 7-4.

FAMU picked up two runs in the bottom of the sixth to extend their edge to 9-4, then the Eagles scored a single run in the seventh to close to 9-5, before the Rattlers rallied for four runs in the bottom of the eighth to salt away the game.

FAMU starting pitcher Chase Jarrell (2-2) got the win, allowing four runs on six hits in six innings with a pair of strikeouts, with reliever Jordan Montague working the final three innings to log his first save. Alex Dandridge (0-4) took the loss for Central.

Zach Lee, Carlos Ortiz and Jake Cagle led NCCU with two hits each.

@ In Game Two, Central built an early lead forcing FAMU to play catch up the entire game, leading 3-0 after scoring two runs in the top of the fourth, before the Rattlers began their climb back into contention with a run in the bottom of the fourth for a 3-1 game.

NCCU scored a single run in the fifth for a 4-1 lead, before the Rattlers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings, keyed by Bennie Robinson’s two-run double that tied the game at 4-4.

Central scored two runs in the ninth to take the lead for good at 6-4, although FAMU did rally in the bottom of the frame, plating a run on Devin Perry’s RBI single for the 6-5 final.

Kyle Shields (2-0) was the winning pitcher for NCCU, working three innings in relief of starter Terry McNabb, while Brandon Fleming (0-2) took the loss for FAMU, allowing the two ninth inning runs, and three hits with two strikeouts in two innings of work.

Jeremy Barlow, Jared Walker, Blake Quillin and Devin Perry each had two hits for FAMU, while Carter Williamson and James Dey each had two hits to lead NCCU.

WHAT’S NEXT: FAMU and NCCU will play the rubber match of the three-game set Sunday at 1:00 p.m. at Moore-Kittles Field.

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION