Baseball splits with Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

NORMAL – Snow and rain might have delayed the start of the 2014 Baseball season at Alabama A&M but it would not keep them from playing. On Saturday with tempertures in the low thirties the A&M baseball team split with the Mastodons of Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne 5-2 and 5-1.

"After all the adversities we still found a way to split with a great team," said head coach Mitch Hill". "We worked on the field Thursday while the school was closed and tarped it on Friday when the rain came."

Nerves and jitters were evident in the season opener as the Mastodons claimed a 5-2 win in the first game of the doubleheader.

AAMU's Andrew Utterback collected two hits with a run and a run batted in while Austin Husley posted a hit and a run. Newcomer Justen Folger posted his first hit in the Maroon & White and a RBI.

Joshua Freeman faced 20 batters and finished with six strikeouts after five innings of work.

IPFW was led by Trevino Shane who collected two hits, three runs, and a RBI.

The second game saw the A&M bats warm up. The Bulldogs collected a season high nine hits. Patrick Dodson posted two hits and a run while Austin Hulsey finished with a pair a hits and Folger ended the second game of the season with two hits and a run.

Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne opened the bottom of the first inning on an Evan VanSumeren hit that scored the lone run for the Mastodons.

The Bulldogs would go on to score five runs over the next six innings with two in the second, a pair in the fifth and a run in the bottom of the sixth to secure the 5-1 victory. The win was head coach Mitch Hill's first and A&M's first of the year.

"This was the first time we seen different pitchers so it took some time for us to adjust," coach Hill mentioned. "Once we got accustomed to their arms we were able to get more hits in the game. My hat goes off to Devin Smith for performing the way he did."

Smith earned the first win for any Bulldog pitcher completing his first game of the year with two strikeouts, 10 fly outs and eight groundouts in seven innings of work.

"The defense played well behind me and we were clicking on all cylinders," said Devin Smith.

A&M will complete the four game series with IPFW with games at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16. All games are free and open to the public at the Bulldogs baseball field.

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