FAMU's Chase Jarrell And Bennie Robinson Take MEAC Honors

NORFOLK, Virginia  –  Florida A&M’s Bennie Robinson earned the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week honors, the conference announced on Monday.  

Florida A&M’s Chase Jarrell was selected Pitcher of the Week, while Bethune-Cookman’s Zach Olszewski earned Rookie of the Week accolades.

FAMU ATHLETICS

Robinson (1B, 6-3, Sr., Ocala, Fla.) hit .368 (7-for-22) in games against Jacksonville, Stetson and North Carolina A&T. Robinson registered seven hits, including a home run during the
week. Defensively, he also had 37 putouts and three assists.

Jarrell (P, 6-3, Fr., Winter Springs, Fla.) pitched eight innings and surrendered two runs (one earned). Jarrell scattered four hits and fanned five in a 5-2 win against North Carolina A&T.

Olszewski (C, 6-0, Fr., Bay City, Mich.) batted .300 (3-for-10) in games against Central Florida and Savannah State. Defensively, Olszewski recorded 15 putouts and assisted on three more.

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Rolland, Alexander are GCAC Performers of the Week

Angelica Alexander

Devinn Rolland

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Devinn Rolland and Angelica Alexander are the recipients of Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Performer of the Week awards in women's track and field for March 24-30.
   
Rolland, from Harvey, La., and a graduate of Cabrini High School in New Orleans, won the track honor after meeting NAIA A-qualifying times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 400 relay at the Tulane Team Challenge on Saturday. She finished second in the 100 with a personal best of 11.83 seconds — the fastest outdoor time in the NAIA this season — placed second in the 200 in 24.97 and ran the second leg for the 400 relay team which finished third in 47.96. Rolland teamed with Kaylee Moore, Kailey Williams and Chelsea James.
   
Alexander, from Shreveport, La., and a graduate of Byrd High School, won the high jump at the Tulane meet and cleared 5 feet, 6 inches — an NAIA A-qualifying mark — for the second time this month. Her height ranks second this season on the NAIA's outdoor list.
   
Rolland is an 11-time GCAC weekly winner since the start of the 2013 season. She won the track award four times and the field award seven times. This is the second time this season that Alexander won the GCAC field award.
   
Both XU teams will compete Friday in the Pelican Relays at Baton Rouge, La. Field events will start at 10 a.m., and running events will start at 3 p.m. Southern University's Roscoe Moore Track at A.W. Mumford Stadium will be the venue.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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Texas Southern Tigers take Series from Division Leader

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas  -- It took extra innings, but the Texas Southern Tigers got the job done on the road and walked away with the series win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The entire series was a war but the major battle happened in game three where the Tigers clawed their way to a 9-8 win.

"It was truly a total team effort," said head coach Michael Robertson.

TSU started in a hole after UAPB scored 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning.  The Tigers got on the board in the fourth inning when Zach Welz hit an RBI single to left center field. TSU was down 2-1.

Texas Southern tied the game 2-2 in the seventh inning when Chris Lopez hit a sacrifice fly to center field.

"It was a pitcher's duel for 7 innings and a slugfest the last 3 innings…a see-saw battle between two clubs that are evenly matched in every statistical area that matters," Robertson said.

TSU took their first lead of the game when they scored 2 runs in the eighth inning.  Terry Edwards hit a 2 run single to first base for a 4-2 advantage.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff responded and picked up 3 runs in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-4.

The Tigers tied the game 5-5 in the top of the ninth inning when Jerry Ford, II hit an RBI single to right field.

TSU held off a bases loaded threat by UAPB which sent the game into extra innings.

The Tigers' bats came alive in the tenth inning where they scored 4 runs.  Andrew Garza hit a 2 run single; Marquis Webb hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Garza scored on a sacrifice bunt by Chris DeLeon.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning but it was not enough, and TSU took the series 2-1.

This game was not won on today's actions alone.  It was set up by TSU's victorious play the day before.

"In the third game, we used 5 pitchers and I believe everybody got an outing and everybody was used," said pitching coach Ehren Moreno. "Because Darius [McClelland] pitched a complete game [Saturday], we were able to unload our bullpen today.  Without Darius throwing that complete game, we would not have been able to matchup against Pine Bluff like we did to win."

Michael Starkey started for the Tigers and pitched 6 innings with 4 strikeouts, 3 hits, 3 walks and 2 runs.  Larry Romero got the win after 2.1 innings on the mound, 3 strikeouts, 5 hits, 3 earned runs and 2 walks.  Rios Ryan picked up the save.

The Tigers had 13 hits and 8 men left on base.  Ford led the Tigers with 4 hits.  Edwards and Garza each had 2 RBIs.

"I thought our team took one huge step in the right direction by defeating a team that not only can pitch well and make plays, but they are very tough to beat at home," Robertson said.  "We showed a lot of heart to fight back late in the ball game to tie, take the lead, lose the lead, tie it and win it in the tenth."

The Tigers will play Dallas Baptist and Arlington Baptist College on the road this week before returning to conference play against Grambling State on Saturday, April 5th & 6th at MacGregor Park.    

Box Score  

Contact: Rodney Bush TSU Sports Information Director
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Georgetown Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Grambling State

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  The Georgetown baseball team wrapped up its three-game series at Grambling State on Sunday, splitting a doubleheader with the host Tigers. Grambling State (7-21) took the first game 8-2, but the Hoyas (11-13) bounced back to take the nightcap, 5-3. Both games were played at Willis Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park in Grambling, La.

Game One...
Steve Anderson (Albany, N.Y./Northfield Mt. Hermon Prep (Mass.)/Guilderland) and Jake Kuzbel (Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge) each had a pair of hits, but Georgetown could only scratch together a couple of runs, falling 8-2 in the first game of the day.

Starting pitcher David Ellingson (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands College Park) went five innings, giving up six runs, five earned, on eight hits. He struck out one. Chris Giordano (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland) threw three innings of relief, giving up two runs while striking out four.

Trailing 2-0, the Hoyas got their first run in the top of the third. Eric Webber (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's) and Kuzbel each hit one-out singles to put runners on the corners. Ryan Busch (Falcon Heights, Minn./Roseville Area) grounded out to shortstop to score Webber and cut the deficit to 2-1.

After Grambling State scored in the bottom of the third, Georgetown again got within one run with in the top of the fourth as Nick Collins (Carthage, N.C./Union Pines), Anderson and AC Carter (Winter Park, Fla./Orangewood Christian) all hit consecutive singles to lead off the inning. Carter's base knock allowed Collins to cross the plate.

The Tigers pulled away with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.       

Game Two...
Will Brown (Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca) pitched 6.1 innings of one-run relief as the Hoyas bounced back for a 5-3 win in the second game.

Brown allowed just six hits and no walks while registering four strikeouts, picking up his first win of the season. Busch and Kuzbel each had two hits while Collins had three RBI without the benefit of a hit. Anderson homered and drove in two runs. Tim Davis (Vienna, Va./James Madison) threw the final 1.1 innings, not giving up a hit while striking out two, for his fourth save.

Georgetown got the bats going in the first inning. Collins reached on a two-out error and Anderson made the Tigers pay, blasting a two-run home run to right field.

Grambling State got a run back in the bottom half of the inning off of starting pitcher Nick Leonard (Washington, D.C./Maret). The Tigers tied the score with another run in the second, off of Joseph Bialkowski (Raleigh, N.C./Needham B. Broughton).

The Blue & Gray reclaimed the lead in the third with an unearned run. With Busch on second, the Grambling State first baseman booted a ground ball by Collins allowing him to reach and Busch to cross the plate, giving the Hoyas a 3-2 lead.

Georgetown added single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, both driven in by Collins. He hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to score Kuzbel, who had doubled and gone to third on a single by Busch. In the seventh, Kuzbel again led off with a double and went to third on another Busch single. This time, Collins got the RBI by grounding out to third.

The Hoyas will play a midweek game on Tuesday against George Washington. The game, which is set to start at 3 p.m., will be played at the Colonials' home field, Barcroft Park, in Arlington, Va. Next weekend, Georgetown opens BIG EAST play with a three-game series against Xavier at Shirley Povich Field.

On Saturday, the Hoyas, in partnership with the St. Baldrick's Foundation, will shave their heads following their game with the Musketeers. GUGS will be at the game, serving food and the Blue & Gray will honor local kids who are fighting childhood cancer. The team has already raised over $35,000 for St. Baldrick's.

To donate to their efforts please click here.

Game 1 - Final Stats
Game 2 - Final Stats

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Alabama State football: Silmon expected to replace Baker at outside linebacker

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  --  There are just six spring practice dates left for Alabama State’s football team, but one of the nagging questions of the spring may have been answered on the defensive side of the ball.

Because the secondary will remain a question mark until it is tested against live competition, the biggest hole on the defensive side of the ball was at outside linebacker, where a replacement for the talented Leland Baker had to be found.

Deontrelle Silmon’s performance late in the season as a replacement for the injured Baker and Daerius Washington — he was second on the team among non-starters with 29 tackles, including five for loss — probably answered those questions, but it was nice to see him pick up in the spring where he had left off.

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FAMU Hosts Welcome Rally for President Mangum April 4

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- The month of April begins a new season at Florida A&M University (FAMU) as the campus welcomes its new leader, President Elmira Mangum. To commemorate the occasion and celebrate her in “true Rattler fashion,” FAMU will host a Welcome Rally on Friday, April 4 at 12:15 pm on the steps of Lee Hall, 1601 S. Martin L. King Jr. Blvd.

The event will include spirited tributes by student leaders, the Marching “100,” FAMU Cheerleaders and more. The event is free and open to the public.

On April 1, President Elmira Mangum will become FAMU’s 11th president and first permanent female president in the institution’s 126-year history. She previously served as vice president for planning and budget at Cornell University where she was the senior administrator responsible for the management of Cornell’s resources and the annual budgeting process.

After a thorough presidential search, the FAMU Board of Trustees selected Mangum to become president on Jan. 9. The Florida Board of Governors unanimously approved her appointment on Feb. 20.

For more information on the Welcome Rally, visit www.famu.edu/MangumWelcome.  

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Late Rally Lifts ASU Hornets Over North Carolina Central

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- A four-run eighth inning rally lifted the Alabama State baseball team to a 9-8 win over North Carolina Central Sunday at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Trailing 7-5, Richard Amion led off the eighth with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Cesar Rivera beat out a grounder to the right side for an infield single, scoring Amion. After a sacrifice bunt by Richard Gonzalez moved Rivera to second base, Waldyvan Estrada's single to right field scored Rivera to tie the game at 7-7. Emmanuel Marrero then singled to right field, advancing Estrada to third. Branden Castro's perfectly executed safety squeeze bunt scored Estrada with the go-ahead run. Dexter Price then walked before Chase Waters' single into right field scored Marrero for a 9-7 lead.

Amion, Rivera, and Estrada each had three hits and scored two runs in the 19-hit attack for the Hornets (24-8), who won their sixth straight game in completing the three-game sweep.

"We sat on a five-run lead, and we know in baseball that's not enough," head coach Mervyl Melendez said of his team, which scored five runs in the first inning but did not score again until the late-game rally. "Teams at this level are going to be able to come back, they're going to make a run, and put some innings together. That was the case today. North Carolina Central did a very good job in doing just that to take the lead. I'm just extremely proud of our team. I've said it many times – when adversity hits, that's when we are at our strongest and play our best baseball. This is a very good victory, especially coming from behind."

Armando Ruiz (2-2) pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and a run in the ninth. With the tying run on third, he struck out Eric Kimber on a 1-2 pitch for the final out.

"You have to depend on guys who want the baseball," Melendez said of Ruiz. "I had every intention in the ninth inning to take him out the game, but he said 'I got it.' He was very firm about wanting the baseball with the game on the line. I stepped back, and watched him do his thing."

Alabama State scored five runs in the first inning to take an early lead. The Hornets began the game with four straight hits. Amion and Rivera each singled to right field, and Gonzalez' single to left scored Amion. Estrada then doubled to left center field, scoring Rivera and advancing Gonzalez to third. After an RBI groundout by Marrero scored Gonzalez for a 3-0 lead, Castro's sacrifice fly scored Estrada. Price then walked and later scored on a single up the middle by Einar Muniz for a 5-0 lead.

North Carolina Central (9-17-1) took the lead with three runs in the fourth and sixth innings, and a run in the seventh before the late-game rally by Alabama State, which improved to 8-0 on Sunday games this season.

"All the credit goes to this group of guys that believe in themselves," Melendez said. "They made a commitment last year, knowing they had to play better to win ball games. It's a true testament of the hard work they have put in during the offseason and early part of this season and I'm very happy for them."

The Hornets continue the five-game homestand Tuesday against Mercer and Wednesday against Jacksonville State, with first pitch both days at 6 p.m. at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.

Box Score

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