Rattler baseball clinches MEAC Southern Division title

Florida A&M (28-19, 17-5 MEAC) scored 13 runs in the first two innings and never let up on its way to a 20-4, seven inning, win over North Carolina A&T (13-39, 6-16 MEAC) at Moore-Kittles Field on Friday.

It was the third time this season FAMU defeated NC A&T by a mercy rule. The Rattlers recorded 14 of its 24 hits in the first two innings, which was the most hits in a game this season and is the 26^th time A&M has had 10+ hits in a game in 2016. Every starter recorded at least one hit for the Rattlers, while Alec Wong and Ben Ellzey each went 4-for-4. Wong has extended his streak to 11 straight at bats with a base hit.

The win was the 77^th win for Head Coach Jamey Shouppe, which ties him for second all-time with Joe Durant (2001-2003) for wins over any consecutive three-year period in FAMU Baseball history. Shouppe is three wins away from tying the school record for wins in any three-year span.

Ricky Page (5-3) set a career-high in strikeouts for the second consecutive outing as he finished with nine strikeouts in five innings of work for the win. Page allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and didn’t walk a batter.

Florida A&M used three pitchers in the win and didn’t walk a single batter, while totaling 12 strikeouts, including Cameron Sims strikeout to end the game.

Marlon Gibbs (2-for-2), Brian Davis (2-for-3), Jacky Miles, Jr. (3-for-5), Willis McDaniel (2-for-4) and Peter Jackson (3-for-5) all had multi-hit performances, while Davis (four RBI), Miles, Jr. (three RBI), Ellzey (five RBI), McDaniel (two RBI) and Jackson (four RBI) had multi- RBI performances. The four RBI for Jackson was a career high as well as the five RBI for Ellzey.

Javon Byrd recorded his first-career hit in the sixth inning, a single to left field.