TAMPA, FL – Ryan Anderson and Kaycee Reese were both outstanding on Saturday night, leading the Rattlers (15-8, 5-1 MEAC) to a 3-2 win over the South Florida Bulls (21-3) in an 11-inning thriller at USF Baseball Stadium.
Anderson and Reese each had career days for Florida A&M. A Brandon, FL native, Anderson put together his best collegiate start in front of his friends and family, pitching a career-best 7.1 innings, allowing only four hits and two unearned runs, while matching a career high with six strikeouts. Reese's first collegiate home run – a two-run shot in the top of the fifth inning proved to be the difference in the ball game.
Tied at 2-2 in the top of the 11th, it appeared the Rattlers had little to no chance of taking the lead, but Willis McDaniel, the unlikeliest of all heroes on the night made the game-changing play for the Rattlers.
Already 0-for-4 in the ball game with four strikeouts, McDaniel stepped to the plate with the bases empty and one out, and worked a full-count walk. After Wilkinson struck out for the second out of the inning, McDaniel stole second base and advanced into scoring position. Pinch-hitter Octavien Moyer then worked a full count walk to put runners on first and second. With two strikes on Ty Russ, McDaniel stole third base and Moyer got caught in a pickle between first and second. McDaniel instinctively took off for the plate and scored the game's winning run after working out of another rundown.
The Florida A&M bullpen bounced back in a big way on Saturday night. Three FAMU relievers combined to walk only one hitter in 3.2 scoreless innings.
Thomas Nicoll (2-1) picked up the win after shutting things down in the bottom of the 11th. Nicoll pitched two innings and had two strikeouts. Hunter Fillingim worked 1.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing only one hit with one strikeout.
USF jumped out to the first lead of the game on an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Luke Borders and Joe Genord led off with back to back singles. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a costly passed ball. The next USF batter, Duke Stunkel, then delivered a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Borders from third for the game's first run.
Kaycee Reese gave Florida A&M the lead in the top of the fifth on his first career home run.
With one out, Dallas Oliver singled through the left side. Reese then crushed a no-doubter into the street beyond the left field fence to give Florida A&M their first lead of the series.
Anderson cruised through the next three innings, retiring eight straight USF batters.
South Florida tied the game at 2-2 with their second unearned run of the night in the bottom of the eighth inning.
After a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt, the Bulls had the tying run in scoring position with one out. Jamie Grant then came in for Anderson and walked the first batter, setting up a double play. Grant got the ground ball he was looking for – a routine one-hopper to the shortstop off the bat of Coco Montes, but an error extended the inning. Hunter Fillingim came in for Grant, and the next batter, Luke Borders, drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Florida A&M had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth but came up just short. With two outs, Garrett Wilkinson and Eric Blanc, Jr. recorded back-to-back pinch-hit singles. Malachi Mitchell came in to pinch-run for Blanc at first base, and then both runners advanced on a passed ball, putting the go-ahead-run just 90 feet away, but USF reliever Andrew Perez struck out pinch-hitter Ty Russ to end the inning.
Fillingim worked a scoreless ninth inning and Nicoll pitched a scoreless 10th, before McDaniel's clever base running gave the Rattlers the lead in the 11th, for a final score of 3-2.
Aubrey McCarty and Kaycee Reese led the way at the plate for Florida A&M, who managed to score just enough despite striking out a season high 16 times in the game.
McCarty finished 2-for-5 with a double while Reese was 2-for-4 with a two-run home run.
McCarty will take the mound tomorrow for Florida A&M and will look to lead the Rattlers to their sixth consecutive weekend series win to begin the 2017 season.
Tomorrow's rubber match will begin at 2:00 PM at USF Baseball Stadium.
As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @BaseballFAMU and on Facebook.
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