DAYTONA BEACH, FL.- After some
Jeter Polledo heroics sent the Wildcats to extras,
Andrey Martinez's walkoff double clinched B-CU's second midweek win of the season with a 10-9 win over USF, Wednesday evening at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
USF (22-15) got on the board in the first with back-to-back walks to open the game, followed by a sacrifice fly to open things up at 1-0, Bulls
Bethune-Cookman (25-17) responded in the bottom of the second, as
Jose Fernandez was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a Polledo sacrifice fly. After the Bulls turned to the pen for the second time on the night,
Sergio Rivera singled to left to score Chris Watson and take the 2-1 lead.
The Bulls grabbed the lead back a half-inning later again thanks to some free passes - a walk and a hit batter - as a groundout and B-CU error allowed USF to move in front again at 3-2.
The lead changed hands again in the bottom of the third as
Jesus Vanegas tied things with a solo shot hooking around the left field foul pole to make it 3-3. Polledo plated two more with an RBI single to give the Cats the lead at 5-3.
The two teams traded runs in the fourth - USF via an RBI single, B-CU on a double steal with
Sergio Rivera breaking for home and scoring without a throw from second.
As the B-CU offense sputtered in the middle innings, USF put up a four-spot in the seventh to go up 8-6, again with help from a B-CU error.
The Bulls looked poised to run away with things in the eighth as they led off the inning with a little league home run thanks to a cacophony of B-CU errors that made it 9-6.
Rivera gave the Cats life again in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to left to make it 97.
Marcos Gamboa, making his first appearance since the second weekend of the season out of the bullpen, worked around a one-out single with a strike-em-out throw-em-out double play to set the Cats up with a chance to extend the game in the bottom of the ninth down 9-7.
The ninth began with
Jorge Rodriguez taking a ball to the back for a free base before
Jorge Gonzalez Febo singled on the infield to make it two-on, no outs.
Irvin Escobar dropped down an excellent pinch hit, sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position before
Armani Newton pulled B-CU to within one on a sacrifice fly.
Jeter Polledo, down to his final strike, sent a single right up the middle to tie things at nine and send the game to extras.
Gamboa worked out of trouble again in the tenth, stranding two Bulls baserunners.
Darryl Lee walked to open the bottom of the tenth.
Andrey Martinez quickly ended things with a ball to the wall in left center to walk it off for the 10-9 win.
Logan Wirt made the start, with
Brandon Vazquez,
Carlos Jazmin, and
Sebastian Garrido all appearing out of the pen in relief.
Gamboa earned his first win of the season after two innings of scoreless ball in which he allowed two hits and a walk with a strikeout.
- USF threw 10 different arms in the contest. Losing pitcher Nolan Bernard was the only arm to potentially pitch over an inning in the box score, but he did not record an out in the tenth.
- B-CU improves to 1-1 in extra-inning games this season after a 4-3 loss to UMass back on Feb. 22
- Jeter Polledo went 2-4 with four RBI.
- Sergio Rivera went 3-5 with two runs scored, two RBI, and four steals. His homer was the third of the season for the B-CU outfielder.
- Four steals in the game for Sergio Rivera ties a single-game high for a Wildcat, set by Rivera against Jackson State back in March.
B-CU will hit the road again to take on SWAC opponent Arkansas - Pine Bluff for the first time in program history beginning Friday, April 25 at 3 p.m.
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--#HailWildcats--
