MIAMI, Fla. — Florida A&M turned in a split Saturday at the FIU Tournament, rolling past Eastern Illinois 8-2 behind a wire-to-wire effort in the opener before Incarnate Word pulled away for a 10-3 win in the nightcap.
The Rattlers (7-6) paired timely hitting with steady pitching across the day, highlighted by
Zoryana Hughes' complete-game win against the Panthers and
Samantha Smith's power and run production in both contests.
Game 1: Florida A&M 8, Eastern Illinois 2
Florida A&M struck first and never let Eastern Illinois get comfortable, manufacturing an early run in the first inning and building separation with multi-run offense late.
The Rattlers opened the scoring on a bases-loaded walk issued to
Jordan Douglas, then doubled the lead in the second when
Ciara Maple punched an RBI single to make it 2-0. FAMU kept pressure on throughout, stretching the margin to 5-0 by the fifth before putting the game out of reach with a three-run sixth inning.
Smith delivered the big swing of the frame, lining a two-run single to cap the rally and push the advantage to 8-0. Eastern Illinois scratched across two runs before the final out, but Hughes finished the job in the circle.
Hughes (3-2) went the distance, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with one walk. Offensively,
Neriah Lee set the tone at the top of the order, going 3-for-4 with a triple and a walk. Douglas added two RBIs while drawing two walks, and Maple finished with two hits and an RBI as Florida A&M out-hit the Panthers 9-7 and worked eight walks.
Key notes:
- FAMU led from the first inning on and posted its highest-scoring inning in the sixth (three runs).
- Lee had three hits, and Florida A&M cashed in with three hits in six at-bats with the bases loaded.
Game 2: Incarnate Word 10, Florida A&M 3
Florida A&M battled back into striking distance early, but Incarnate Word's offense answered with a late surge to turn a close game into a seven-run decision.
The Cardinals jumped out to a 5-0 lead, forcing the Rattlers to chase. Florida A&M responded in the third inning with a two-run push to cut the deficit to 5-2, then pulled within two in the fourth when Smith launched a leadoff homer to make it 5-3.
That was as close as it would get. Incarnate Word tacked on five more runs over the remaining innings to close out the win, while Florida A&M was unable to generate another scoring threat.
Amari Brown (1-1) took the loss in the circle, and
Sariah Espada provided a bright spot out of the bullpen with a clean, hitless inning. At the plate, Smith finished 1-for-3 with the home run and an RBI,
Eryn Polite went 2-for-2, and Brown added a double.
Key notes:
- Florida A&M's biggest inning came in the third (two runs), and Smith's solo shot accounted for the lone run after that.
- Incarnate Word's K. Hill homered and drove in four, and J. Robledo threw three shutout innings in relief.
