TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Alec Wong recorded his first two home runs of the season including a game two walk-off home run to lift Florida A&M (10-15, 6-5 MEAC) to a doubleheader sweep over North Carolina A&T (3-20, 1-9 MEAC) by scores of 10-7 & 3-2 at Moore-Kittles Field on Saturday. Wong had a monster day at the plate as he went 6-for-8 with two home runs, a double, 13 total bases, four runs scored and three RBI in the two games. The Rattler pitching staff only allowed three runs on nine hits over the final 11 innings combined in the doubleheader.Marlon Gibbs went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in game one, while Ryan Kennedy went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in game to for FAMU.
Cleveland Westbrook (2-0) pitched the final two outs in the eighth inning with one strikeout to earn his second win of the season in game one and Kenny McDonald struck out the only batter he faced in the ninth inning for his fifth save. McDonald (2-0) also picked up the win in game two after recording the final out in the top of the seventh inning. Game one Rattler starter Chase Jarrell pitched five innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts in the no decision. Ryan Anderson started game two for Florida A&M and pitched 5.1 innings with just one run on three hits with two strikeouts while also recording a no decision.
NC A&T grabbed a 3-0 lead with three runs on four hits in the top of the second inning. Brandon Wilkerson led off the inning with a single to right and Erik Montero followed with a double to left center to put runners on second and third with no outs. Wilkerson then scored the first run of the game as Adan Ordonez grounded out to short. Ryan Jantsch’s RBI single back up the middle plated Montero and Milton Rivera’s double to right center with two outs scored AJ Hunt, who had singled up the middle, from first for the third run of the inning.
FAMU answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning to tie the game at 3-3. Jeremy Barlow and Logan Seymour drew back-to-back walks with two outs before Wong roped an RBI double into the right center gap that scored Barlow for the Rattlers first run of the game. With runners now on second and third, AJ Elkins’ then tied the game with a two-run double to left center that brought home both Wong and Seymour.
The Rattlers took their first lead of the day at 6-3 after a pair of home runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Wong blasted his first home run of the season, with one out, in the bottom of the fourth inning and Michael Birdsong crushed a two-run shot over the fence in left center in the fifth inning to give FAMU a 6-3 lead.
North Carolina A&T rallied to tie the game at 6-6 with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Kyle Clary doubled to left center to lead off the sixth, moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on Wilkerson’s RBI single to center. Montero then doubled down the left line to put runners on second on third. Alex Carrasco would come in to relieve starter Jarrell and balked home the runner from third that made the score 6-5. Jantsch tied the game on an RBI groundout to second.
Florida A&M regained the lead at 7-6 with a single run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Kennedy was walked for the third time in the game to start the inning and went to second as Brian Davis grounded out to first base. Kennedy went to third on a balk and Birdsong walked to place runners on the corners. Birdsong would steal second before Peter Jackson hit into a fielder’s choice and Kennedy was thrown out at the plate on the play by the shortstop. Birdsong took third base on the throw that went home and the catcher came up throwing to third trying to catch Birdsong. The throw went high into left field allowing Birdsong to come home and give FAMU the one run lead.
NC A&T again tied the game at 7-7 in the eighth with back-to-back one out doubles from Hunt and Jantsch.
The Rattlers would take the lead for good in what proved to be the game one final of 10-7 with three runs in the home half of the eighth inning. Seymour led off the eighth with a walk and took third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run as Wong singled back up the middle. Elkins sac fly to right scored Seymour for the go-ahead run. Gibbs’s then doubled down the right line to score Wong from second. With Gibbs on second and one out, Kennedy walked before Davis’s RBI single through the right side brought home Gibbs for the third run of the inning.
Aggie reliever Jason Gifford (0-1) suffered the loss after working the final 1.2 innings and allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Starter Mitchell McQueen also pitched a no decision after giving up six runs on five hits with six walks and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.
In game two, NC A&T again scored first with a single run in the top of the second inning for an early 1-0 lead. Ordonez singled through the right side with two outs and scored all the way from first as Hunt doubled deep into center field.
FAMU grabbed the lead, at 2-1, in the bottom of the third inning as Kennedy blasted his third home run of the season, a two run shot to left field.
The Aggies tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Montero reached on an infield single with one out and Micah Carmony then came in to pinch run for him at first. Ordonez then doubled in Carmony for the tying run with a ball deep down the left field line. Hunt followed with a walk as runners were now on first and second. Each runner moved up a base on a wild pitch and after Jantsch walked to load the bases with one out, Rattler reliever McDonald came in to record two quick outs on a strikeout and groundout to end the A&T scoring threat.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Wong belted his second home run of the day, a walk-off over the fence in right, to give FAMU the 3-2 win.
NC A&T reliever Jerry Liang (0-4) came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh for the Aggies and gave up the home run to Wong for the game two loss.
Florida A&M and North Carolina A&T will conclude the three-game series on Sunday at Moore-Kittles Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @FAMUAthletics and live stats will be available via www.FAMUAthletics.com.
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FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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