TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (April 28) – The FAMU Softball team had two chances on Saturday to clinch their second straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division title, but squandered both as visiting Bethune-Cookman escaped with 5-2 and 14-8 wins.
Saturday's doubleheader loss dropped the Rattler Women (20-26, 11-3 MEAC) into a first place tie in the division with archrival Bethune-Cookman (26-24, 11-3), which trailed FAMU by two games coming into the day.
FAMU self destructed in both games, committing a combined 11 errors in the two games, which put them behind in both games.
Senior Veronica Burse (6-16) took the loss for FAMU in the opener, although she allowed just five runs in the game, on 14 hits, with four fielding errors aiding the Wildcats.
B-CU scored single runs in the second and third innings for a 2-0 lead, before the Rattlers pushed across a tally in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Lady 'Cats score twice in the top of the fifth, before tacking on a run in the sixth to extend their lead to 5-1, before FAMU scored a run in the bottom of the sixth.
FAMU was held to just four hits in the opener, as B-CU starter Alexis Bermudez allowed the two Rattler runs on two hits in five-and-two-thirds, with freshman Victoria Guzman, the second of two Cookman relievers, picking up the save, retiring the final two outs of the game.
Toni Anderson belted a solo homer in the fourth for FAMU, finishing with one of the team's four hits. Tyra Bowers, Jamesia Stoudemire and Hera Varmah each had singles for FAMU.
In Game Two, Bethune-Cookman scored six runs in the first inning, and seemed on the verge of pulling off a run rule victory, holding a 7-0 lead headed into the fifth.
But FAMU rallied to score seven runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the game 7-7, before scoring once in the bottom of the sixth to take their only lead of the game at 8-7.
The Lady 'Cats scored a run in the top of the seventh to tie the game 8-8 to send the bout to extra innings, where they repeated their first inning antics with a six-run surge to close out the game.
Sophomore Kyaira Brown (14-10) went the distance, allowing 14 runs on 15 hits, striking out five. But the FAMU defense broke down at crucial times, committing seven errors.
Bowers led the 13-hit FAMU attack with three hits, scoring twice, with Stoudemire and Alexis Day each finishing with two hits. Stoudemire led FAMU with three RBIs, followed by Brown and Toni Anderson with two apiece.
WHAT'S ON DECK: Sunday's 12 Noon series (and regular season) finale at the FAMU Softball Complex, will be for the Southern Division title, and one of the top two seeds in the MEAC Softball Championships, May 9-12 in Ormond Beach, Florida.
