The Maine Black Bears completed their two-game sweep of the Rattlers baseball team with a 17-7 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Moore-Kittles Baseball Complex.
The Rattlers drop to 1-8 on the season while the Black Bears exceed the .500 mark with a 3-2 record.
Manny Pupo (1-0) earned the victory for the Black Bears during game two through four innings of pitching. He allowed seven hits and five earned runs. Pupo recorded two strikeouts.
David Duncan (1-2) received the loss for the Rattlers in three and two-third innings on the mound. He gave up seven hits and nine earned runs while striking out five.
Costly errors played a factor in the Rattlers’ series defeat. They recorded five during the series, which helped the Black Bears extend their leads in both games. The Rattlers were outscored 22-10 on the series.
Despite their insufficient defense, the Rattlers displayed offensive highlights during the series. Right-fielder Jarryd Reid, who continued his hitting streak, earned six hits during the series. He produced three hits during both games.
“Coach told me don’t change a thing,” Reid said. “He felt that I was pressing and he told me to relax and don’t change a thing on my swing.”
Reid also said, “We just have to relax. They’re a talented team, but we had a lot of errors and we know we can beat these guys.”
Jered Walker displayed an offensive clinic as well, as he earned three hits during game two.
Head coach Willie Brown praised his team for playing tough during the entire game Wednesday despite rough periods.
“I saw nine innings of good baseball,” Brown said. “They have some great players on the team and the team that wasn’t going to make the mistakes won the game.”
Third-baseman Andrew Thomas said he believed game two was in reach and still has confidence in the Rattlers.
“I am not too worried about stats and stuff like that. All I want to do is win and help my team win,” Thomas said. “We just got to play our ball. If we feel out our team chemistry and play off that, then we can win.”
FAMU will return to action in a two-game series Saturday against the Jacksonville University Dolphins.