DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Jason Dooley scattered eight hits Thursday night, leading host Bethune-Cookman College to a 5-4 baseball victory over the University of Maine at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Dooley (4-2) struck out Simon Williams with the potential tying run at second base in the ninth to preserve the win for the Wildcats, now 17-6. He fanned 10.

The Black Bears slipped to 4-1.

“The reason we didn’t come out and win this game was we didn’t do anything in the middle of our order with guys on base,” UMaine coach Paul Kostacopoulos told WZON radio. “We didn’t pick up the runners in scoring position.”

Bethune-Cookman scored the go-ahead run in the eighth off UMaine reliever Adam Labelle (0-1). Carlos Marrero singled up the middle and moved up on Jose Vazquez’s sacrifice bunt. Sylvannah Dean was walked intentionally, before pinch hitter Carlos Burgos lifted a pop-fly single deep down the left-field line.

Ryan Harris replaced Labelle and got Micah Simmons to fly out to left, but the sacrifice fly scored Marrero with the game-winner.

Williams singled three times and knocked in two runs to pace UMaine, while Alain Picard added a single and two RBIs.

Jose Ramos singled three times with an RBI for the winners, while Marrero doubled and singled (1 RBI) and Timmons singled twice.

Mike Collar of Scarborough pitched six strong innings for the Bears. He allowed only six hits.

“I thought he did another nice job,” Kostacopoulos said. “He threw 91 pitches and he was pretty efficient.”

The Bears grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but couldn’t do any more damage after loading the bases with nobody out. Picard plated the run with a fielder’s choice grounder.

“When you do have that opportunity against a good team, you have to get four, five, six runs,” Kostacopoulos said. “We really needed to capitalize [there] and in the middle innings we didn’t capitalize, either.”

UMaine made it 3-0 in the fifth. Jesse Carlton reached on an error, Mark Reichley singled and Aaron Young reached on a fielder’s choice bunt. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and eventually rode home on Williams’ two-out, two-run single to center field.

Bethune-Cookman got a run back in the fourth when Simmons reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on Timmons’ two-out single to left.

The Wildcats evened things up in the sixth inning. Ramos led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on Marrero’s long double to center. One out later, Marrero scored on an infield hit.

Bethune-Cookman took the lead in the seventh against Bears reliever Adam Labelle. Timmons walked with one out, stole second with two out, then scored on Ramos’ single to center.

UMaine bounced right back with a run in the eighth. Williams hit an infield single off the pitcher, then Mike Ross reached on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder.

After Joe Drapeau struck out, Picard lined an RBI single to left. However, Ross was thrown out trying to steal third, then Matt Reynolds flied out to right to end the threat.

WILDCATS 5, BLACK BEARS 4

Maine (4-1) Bethune-Cookman (17-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Livulpi, dh 4 1 1 0 Timmons, ss 4 1 1

Williams, lf 5 1 3 2 Pichardo, 2b 4 0 0

Ross, rf 3 0 0 0 Ramos, 3b 4 1 1

Drapeau, 3b 4 0 0 0 Moore, lf 4 0 0

Picard, c 4 0 1 2 Marrero, 1b 4 2 1

Reynolds, 2b 4 0 0 0 Vasquez, c 4 0 0

Carlton, 1b 3 0 0 0 Dean, rf 3 0 1

a-Tobin 1 0 0 0 Maples, dh 3 0 0

Reichley, ss 4 1 1 0 Simmons, cf 2 1 1

Young, cf 3 1 1 0

Totals 35 4 7 4 Totals 32 5 10 5

a-struck out for Carlton in the ninth

Maine 100 020 010 ? 4

Bethune-Cookman 000 012 11x ? 5

E?Timmons, Dean; LOB?Maine 7, Bethune-Cookman 8; 2B?Marrero; SF?Simmons; SB?Williams, Picard; Timmons, Simmons 2

Maine IP H R ER BB SO

Collar 6 7 3 3 2 3

Labelle (L,0-1) 1? 3 2 2 2 1

Harris ? 0 0 0 0 0

Bethune-Cookman IP H R ER BB SO

Dooley (W,4-2) 9 7 4 2 3 10

WP?Collar; Dooley; T?2:49; ATT?175