Tallahassee, Fla. | Baseball fans were in for a treat on Tuesday afternoon at Moore-Kittles Field, as Florida A&M completed one of the biggest late inning comebacks in FAMU baseball history. The Rattlers, who trailed by as many as nine runs at one point, scored nine runs in the final two innings to beat Alabama State 15-14.
 
The victory marked FAMU's fifth consecutive win and was the second largest late inning walk-off comeback since March 5, 2017 when the Rattlers erased a 12-3 ninth inning deficit to defeat East Tennessee State 13-12.
 
While the Hornets outhit the Rattlers 18 to 11 and committed no errors in contrast to FAMU's three, it was patience at the plate that helped propel FAMU to victory. The Rattlers drew 14 walks, including seven in the final inning.
 
Jared Weber went 2-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. Seyjuan Lawrence and Octavien Moyer both picked up two hits for the Rattlers with Lawrence going 2-for-4 with three RBI and Moyer going 2-for-4. 
 
ASU did most of its damage in the first three innings, sprinting out to a quick 10-1 lead on the strength of three homeruns and eight hits. It looked as if the visiting Hornets would put the Rattlers away early.
 
However, FAMU remained calm, steadily chipping away at the Hornets lead and working its way back into striking distance.
 
FAMU added two runs in the bottom of the third when Weber boomed a two-run homer to left field, cutting ASU's lead to seven. 
 
The Hornets added runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab a 12-3 lead. FAMU responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Weber showcased his bunting ability, laying down a bunt to the left side of the infield and legging out a single. Evan Johnson, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, immediately reached base when he was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Lawrence laced a ball up the middle, sending Weber around to score. Cirr-Nicholas Bohannon also entered the game as a substitute in the inning and drilled a two RBI double to left centerfield, trimming ASU's lead to six at the end of five.
 
Things really got interesting in the eighth inning. After the Hornets stretched their advantage to 14-6, the Rattlers answered back with five runs. 
 
The Rattlers had a big eighth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate as the Hornet pitching staff began to collapse. After loading the bases, Miles Watson ripped an RBI single into left field to pull the Rattlers within five. Weber and Johnson drew back-to-back walks adding two more runs. Lawrence tacked on his second and third RBIs of the day smacking a single through the right side of the infield shrinking ASU's lead to 14-11 after eight.
In the ninth inning, FAMU scored four runs without registering a hit. The Rattlers faced three different pitchers, drawing seven consecutive walks with no outs, plating four runs in the bottom of the inning to claim the 15-14 victory.
 
Chandellor Benton (1-2) picked up the win for the Rattlers, pitching 0.1 innings. The FAMU pitching staff combined to strikeout nine Hornet batters, holding ASU to four runs over the final six innings. 
 
On Deck
 
FAMU will now travel to Gainesville, Fla. to take on the 15^thranked Florida Gators for a single game on April 7. The Rattlers were initially slated to take on North Carolina Central in Durham, N.C. for a four-game series from April 1-3. However, due to COVID-19 issues within the Eagles program, that series has been postponed.