JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | Florida Memorial ended its trip to Duval with a doubleheader split against NCAA Division II rival and fellow HBCU Edward Waters. After the close 14-15 loss in game one, the Lions struggled in game two, losing 5-9 before roaring back in game three to take their first win of the season 9-6 against the Tigers.

Gm. 2
FMU 5 - EWU 9

Edward Waters scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth, giving them a 4-0 lead. Two runs in the bottom of the fifth, one by catcher Eduardo Perez off a Daniel Sanchez RBI and the other by senior Raymond Rivera off a Luis Ruiz single RBI, cut the deficit in half after five innings. The Tigers added five runs to their lead in the bottom of the seventh, padding their gap on the Lions. FMU mounted a charge in the top of the ninth, first by a run from freshman Adrian Astudillo, followed by runs from Sanchez and Queens native Ernie Farrell to bring the lead down to 5-9. Unfortunately, time ran out for the Lions as they would drop game one of the doubleheader and the series against the Tigers.

Junior Carlos Solano started on the mound for the Lions and in six innings allowed five hits and four runs while striking out two Tigers. Boynton Beach native Jamal Johnson came in relief and allowed four hits, five runs and struck out two Tigers in 0.2 innings before Tokyo native Ryudai Watanabe finished the game for FMU, allowing one hit in 1.1 innings. In total, five Lions scored runs for FMU, one run a piece, while Ruiz led the team in hits with three.


Gm. 3
FMU 9 - EWU 6

The Tigers opened game three with three runs in the bottom of the first, which was followed by a scoreless second and third inning. The fourth inning is where FMU shined, starting with a Perez home run. Rodriguez answered with a 2 RBI that scored Astudillo and catcher Alejandro Fernandez to tie the game 3-3. Another 2 RBI, this time from infielder Pheron Charlton, scored Rodriguez and Gianni Tusa to give FMU its first lead of the contest. An RBI from Sanchez scored Charlton to increase FMU's lead while a Perez RBI scored Sanchez for the seventh run scored by Florida Memorial in the top of the fourth. EWU answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one-run game after four innings. Two runs scored in the seventh, each by Tusa and Rodriguez gave the Lions a 9-6 lead, which they would hold to grab their first win of the season.

Junior William Hiciano started on the mound for the Lions and in three innings allowed 10 hits and five runs while striking out one Tiger. Freshman Jonah Guinto came in relief and in two innings allowed four hits and one run while striking out two Tigers. Oklahoma native Stephen West finished the game for the Lions and in one inning allowed one walk while striking out two Tigers.

The doubleheader split moves FMU to 1-2 on the young season.

The Lions return to action Friday, February 16 where they'll travel to New College of Florida to take on the Banyans in a four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Sarasota, Fla.