DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ^__ Alabama A&M baseball fell in both games of Saturday's doubleheader against SWAC foe Bethune-Cookman, losing game one 6-2 before a coming up short by just one score in an 5-4 loss in game two, both at Jackie Robinson Field.

Bethune-Cookman 6, Alabama A&M 2
After a first inning with not much action, Blake Martin earned the first hit of the game from either side in the top of the second with a double to the start inning. Chevalier Dorris used a sacrifice bunt on the next at-bat to put Martin in scoring position before Chandler Stocking drove in the opening run with an RBI single to left field for the 1-0 lead.
 
Bethune-Cookman earned their first hit in the fourth, before getting on the board in the fifth with a trio of runs. With a single to start the bottom half of the fifth, the Wildcats later go two runners to cross the plate on an RBI double to left field to take their first lead of the game, before a single to left brought home the final run in the frame for the 3-1 lead.
 
Scoring would take a pause until the top of the eighth, as Jared Tribett hit a solo home run to left to pull the game to 3-2, however, Bethune-Cookman answered with another three-run inning on their next inning at the plate. The Wildcats extended their lead to 5-2 on a bases loaded single to center field to drive two home, followed by a final run off a wild pitch before the close of the inning. Alabama A&M got a runner on in the ninth, however could not advance him to become a scoring threat, falling 6-2.
 
Anthony Mateo (0-4) picked up the loss for A&M, allowing seven hits, two walks and five earned runs in seven innings of work, striking out six. The Bulldogs pounded out seven hits as a team, led by Tommy Easley and Martin with two each in the ball game.

Bethune-Cookman 5, Alabama A&M 4
The Bulldogs got on the board first again in game two, taking advantage of an outfield miscue to go up 1-0 in the contest.
 
It did not take long for Bethune-Cookman to respond, as the Wildcats scored five unanswered runs, tying the game at 1-1 after the first, before adding a pair of runs in both the second and third to take a 5-1 advantage heading into the fourth inning.

Alabama A&M cut into the lead in the fifth, as Stocking started the inning off with a triple to left field and later scored with a two-out single to left by Christian Soto. The Wildcats picked the run back up in the bottom of the frame however, with a sacrifice fly to go up 5-2.
 
The Bulldogs continued to claw back, cutting the lead to two scores in the seventh after a solo homer from Tribett, his second bomb of the day. They came close again in the ninth, as Jalen Parker and Tribett both earned two-out walks after a pair of strikeouts to start the frame. On the next at-bat, Soto drove in Parker with a single to center field to pull within a run at 5-4, however a strikeout ended the comeback effort and resulted in the loss.

Jason Marono (1-4) started on the mound for A&M in game two, allowing 11 hits and three earned runs while striking out six. Sophomore Gabe Nicholson pitched an inning out of the bullpen, striking out all three batters he faced.
 
Soto and Stocking both led the Bulldogs with two hits each, while Tribett had the lone other hit in the second game of the day.

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