The chance to see how they stack up against international competition never came to full fruition for Bethune-Cookman on Sunday against the Chinese National Team.
One week away from a crucial showdown with MEAC rival Florida A&M, the Wildcats dropped a 10-0 setback in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader. The second game was showing promise after Bethune-Cookman took a 1-0 lead after the first inning before rain prompted an early end to the international showdown that had already gotten off to a late start.
“You get an opportunity like this, and it’s much more than playing a team from another part of the world,” said B-CU coach Laura Watten. “You hope that you stay focused and do the things you work on every day in practice. We’ve tried to keep that edge all this time, even against Stetson (a 6-5 loss). Hopefully, this gets our player’s attention.”
Watten did have high praise for the Chinese National Team, which is training out of Vero Beach’s famed Dodgertown and will relocate to Daytona Beach next month, basing out of Embry-Riddle. The visitors ran up 14 hits while Zhao Xin Xing fanned nine Wildcats batters.
China blew open the game with a four-run third inning, sparked by Lou Ying’s lead off homer.
“They have some outstanding athletes,” Watten said. “Their coach (Teresa Wilson) has been around a long time and is doing a good job. I appreciate them taking the time to come up here and giving us a chance to get some more work in.”
Mariah Davis, Iesha Waters, Jacki Smith and Kailey Richard registered BCU’s opening game hits.
In the first inning of the nightcap, Ryan Jackson — who’s ninth in the nation with 15 home runs — slugged a two-out triple to center and scored on Waters’ single before play was halted.
"We started the second game with a better energy, which might have produced a different outcome,” Watten said
The Wildcats turn their attention to Florida A&M next weekend in Tallahassee. B-CU (24-24, 9-3 MEAC) can steal the No. 1 Southern Division seed for the conference tournament if they sweep the Rattlers (20-24, 11-1).