Salisbury, Md. (May 15, 2015) ---Delaware State's dream of reaching the MEAC Tournament championship round came to a humbling end with a 13-0 loss to Bethune-Cookman in the losers' bracket final at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium today. The game was called after DSU batted in the seventh inning due to the 10-run rule.
The Hornets, winners of their first two tournament games, dropped the last two to end the 2015 season with a 16-29 overall record. Bethune-Cookman avenged a 6-2 loss to Delaware State in the tournament's opening round on Wednesday.
The Wildcats will face Florida A&M for the tournament championship on Saturday. BCU is seeking its second straight title and ninth in the last 10 years.
Nathan Bond was four-for-four with a double and a run batted in, while Austin Garcia had three hits (3-for-4) and three RBI for Bethune-Cookman. Demetrius Sims contributed three hits (3-for-5) and a RBI for the Wildcats.
Bethune-Cookman collected 16 hits, including five for extra bases.
Delaware State managed just five singles in the contest. The Hornets were held to two runs in their last games after combining for 13 in the first two games of the tournament.
Bethune-Cookman opened the scoring with two runs on three hits off DSU starter Darrien Ragins in the bottom of the first inning. Garcia drove in the second run on a two-out single.
The Wildcats added two runs in the third and fourth innings to open up a 6-0 lead. Garcia doubled in his second run of the game in the third inning.
Bethune-Cookman scored seven runs on seven hits in the fifth inning to blow the game open. Sims doubled in a run, while Bond and Garcia had run-scoring singles in the inning. The Wildcats were also aided by two Delaware State errors in the fifth.
The Hornets committed four errors in the contest.
Bethune-Cookman starter German Hernandez (1-2) was the winning pitcher. He allowed just one hit in five shutout innings, striking out four and walking two.
Ragins (1-2) was touched up for six runs and eight hits in 3.2 innings to take the loss for the Hornets.
