DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University picked up an opening series win after a doubleheader sweep over Wagner on Sunday, Feb. 18 with 12-3 and 10-4 victories at the Durham Athletic Park.
NCCU (2-1) collected 21 hits and six extra-base hits including a home run over the afternoon.
GAME ONE: Wagner (1-2) scored first on a fielder's choice in the first inning, but NCCU didn't take long to put itself into the lead. The Eagles scored early and often in the first game of the doubleheader as it put 11 runs on the board in between the second and fourth inning.
Corey Joyce (Lexington, N.C.) followed his two-home run game from Friday with three hits in game one with two doubles and an RBI.
Mitchell McCrary (Mills Creek, N.C.) cleared the outfield fence for the first time this year with a two-run laser in the bottom of the third when the Eagles sent eight to the plate and scored four.
NCCU scored four in the following inning as the Eagles brought nine men to the dish in the fourth. That inning was highlighted by a two-RBI single from
Zach Michalski (Belews Creek, N.C.) as he picked up two hits and three RBI in the contest.
Dominic Cuevas (Gurnee, Ill.) touched home three times and got on base four times with a single and three walks.
Freddy Sabido (Staten Island, N.Y.) was responsible for two of the Seahawks' three runs, as he drove in Nick Mascellli (Clifton, N.J.) twice. Will Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) brought in the third run for Wagner in the seventh inning.
Jonathan Figueroa (Chicago, Ill.) turned in five complete innings with just one earned run for his first win of the year.
GAME TWO: NCCU was patient at the plate to start the second game, working three walks to push across a pair of runs in the first inning to lead 2-0. Wagner responded with a run on an error in the top of the second, but the Eagles struck right back with an RBI single from
Carter Williams (Brown Summit, N.C.) to move the Eagles in front 3-1.
The Eagles once again put a crooked number on the scoreboard in the fourth inning as NCCU sent eight men up to bat, and drove in three on a two-RBI double from Williams and an RBI single from
Evan Holland (Erial, N.J.) to gain a 6-1 advantage.
After that, Wagner started mounting a charge back into the game, starting with two runs in the fifth on a single from Mascelli, and then cut the lead to just two after an RBI double from Sean Mazzio (West Chester, Pa.) in the top of the seventh to move the score to 6-4.
NCCU was able to put the comeback bid to rest in the bottom of the eighth as the Eagles sent all nine men up to hit to pick up four runs from
Andrew Valichka (Pedricktown, N.J.), Holland and Joyce for the final tallies in a 10-4 finish.
The Eagles were able to finish off the doubleheader sweep in style with a double play from the combination of Joyce, Cuevas and
Drake Murray (Roswell, Ga.).
NCCU will play its first road game of the year on Tuesday, Feb. 20 as the Eagles visit Duke at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 4:00 p.m.
