CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Wilberforce University baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader Tuesday against Miami University Hamilton at Gendell Family Field at the Reds Urban Youth Academy.

GAME ONE: MIAMI HAMILTON 8, WILBERFORCE 4

Senior Beau Spears accounted for half of Wilberforce's hits as the Bulldogs fell in the opener.

Spears led off the bottom of the first with a base hit, but the Bulldogs were then retired in order over the next 15 batters until freshman Waldenburg Guerrero broke the streak with a leadoff single in the sixth.

Wilberforce mounted its rally in the inning as Spears delivered a one-out single and junior Darius Woodson followed with a walk to load the bases. Sophomore Christopher Alcantara-Diaz drove in a run after being hit by a pitch, and freshman Junior Veras Vasquez added a two-run double. Senior Joe Mendy capped the scoring with an RBI groundout.

Freshman Jonathan Beard (0-1) took the loss in a designated bullpen game, allowing two runs on four hits over two innings while striking out three.

GAME TWO: WILBERFORCE 3, MIAMI HAMILTON 2

Freshman Craig Smith Jr. delivered a dominant performance in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out a career-high six over 3.2 innings.

Entering the game with 14 earned runs allowed over 4.2 innings pitched this season, Smith turned in a breakout effort to help the Bulldogs secure the split and snap a four-game losing streak.

Wilberforce struck first in the second inning as back-to-back two-out singles from Woodson and Alcantara-Diaz plated two runs for a 2-0 lead.

Miami Hamilton responded in the fourth, with its first five hitters reaching base, capped by a two-run single to tie the game at 2-2. Smith halted the momentum with consecutive strikeouts, setting the tone for the remainder of his outing.

The Bulldogs regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning when senior Phillip Williams III reached after being hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run on a Woodson single against a drawn-in infield.

WHAT'S NEXT

Wilberforce opens a three-game HBCUAC series at 1 p.m. Friday, hosting Stillman at the Reds Urban Youth Academy.