Bethune-Cookman baseball upsets No. 24 LSU for 1st ranked win since 2017

Bethune-Cookman scored five runs in the top of the seventh, and Wildcats’ reliever Jean Carlos Zambrano struck out three with the bases loaded in the bottom of the same inning to lead the Wildcats to an upset victory over No. 24 LSU in Baton Rouge on April 7.

The victory marked Bethune-Cookman’s first win over a ranked team since beating eventual-national champion Florida 6-2 on June 4, 2017, in an NCAA Regional, which also served as the program’s last triumph over an SEC opponent. It was the first ranked regular-season victory for the Wildcats (23-10) since 2014.

The Wildcats and Tigers flip-flopped multiple times over the course of the game. LSU (22-12), who peaked at No. 2 nationally for the first month of the season, scored two in the bottom of the first to take an initial lead, but B-CU answered with three runs in the top of the second to lead 3-2.

The trend continued for the next several innings with three ties and three lead changes until the decisive seventh inning.

Darryl Lee tripled to left field with one out to kickstart Bethune-Cookman’s offense, and Andrey Martinez singled in the next at-bat to score Lee and tie the game at 6. Martinez advanced to third after LSU relievers Danny Lachenmeyer and Mavrick Rizy hit Wildcat batters Michael Rodriguez and Maikol Lucena consecutively to load the bases.

But additional runs weren’t guaranteed after Jeter Polledo flew out to right field, leaving three runners on base with two outs. Fortunately for the Wildcats, Erick Almonte and Christopher Watson were walked by Rizy to score two runs, giving them an 8-6 lead.

Rizy was replaced by right-hander Dax Dathe, but runs kept coming for Bethune-Cookman. Two more scored off the bat of Jorge Rodriguez, whose liner caused an error by LSU second baseman Seth Dardar.

A fourth pitching change occurred for the Tigers before they were able to get out of the inning trailing 10-6.

LSU didn’t waste time mounting a comeback after Andris Barroso hit two batters and allowed a single to start the bottom of the seventh. Without an out and the bases loaded, the Wildcats subbed in Zambrano for Barroso.

The pitching change preserved Bethune-Cookman’s 10-6 advantage after the 2025 SWAC Reliever of the Year struck out the first three batters he faced to end the inning and leave three runners stranded.

Zambrano pitched the eighth and ninth innings without any controversy, and the only run scored with him was unearned after an error in the bottom of the ninth. But Zambrano retired the next batter to make Bethune-Cookman’s 10-7 victory official and earn the save.

The Wildcats’ latest conquest added another quality win to their resume, as LSU was ranked 67th in the Division I RPI. They also beat South Florida, No. 62 in the RPI, for the second time this season on March 31.

Bethune-Cookman now has momentum heading into its trip to Itta Bena, Mississippi, to play a three-game conference series against Mississippi Valley State.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bethune-Cookman upsets No. 24 LSU baseball after 7th-inning rally