Feb. 19, 2010

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DURHAM, N.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com)- In its first game in the historic Durham Athletic Park, the North Carolina Central University baseball team managed just six hits and struck out 11 times in a season opening loss to Iona College 4-2 in the first game of the 2010 Eagle Baseball Classic.

In his first career start at NCCU, Drew Robinson (0-1) pitched a very effective five innings allowing just two runs on three hits. The Carthage, N.C. native was outdone by Iona's senior lefty Justin Wiley who struck out nine in seven innings of work in his first outing in nearly two years.

The visiting Gaels started the scoring in the top of the second inning after back to back hits, a single from Andrew Passerelle and a double by Chris Griffin to put runners at second and third with no outs. Passerelle later scored on a passed ball by junior Robert Grant (Graham, N.C.), and Griffin touched homeplate on an RBI groundout by Iona centerfielder Dean Dignelli to give the Gaels a 2-0 lead after two innings.

NCCU tried its best in the bottom of the inning to comeback with back to back hits by freshman Derrell Parker (N. Miami Beach, Fla.) and David Scott (Bunn, N.C.), but a running error by Parker cost the Eagles who left a runner stranded and failed to score.

The Eagles tried to rally again in the fourth inning when Kurt Wilson (Riverdale, Ga.) was hit by a pitch, Blake Murray (Wendell, N.C.) hit a single to left field. After Wilson was forced out at third, Murray scored on a throwing error that put the Eagles on the board for the first time still trailing 2-1. The Eagle offense stalled from there to still trail 2-1 after four innings.

Iona added another run in the sixth inning to pull ahead 3-1 and not until the eighth inning could the Eagles muster up another rally attempt behind back to back hits from Akeem Hood (Raleigh, N.C.) and Wilson. Murray reached on a fielder's choice and Wilson was ruled out at second due to runner's interference. Thanks to a balk by Iona's relief pitcher Pete Ladis that scored Hood, NCCU added one more run to cut the deficit to one at 3-2.

The first pitch of the top of the ninth saw Iona's Passerelle hit his most damaging hit of the day, a solo shot to right field that vaulted Iona up 4 to 2 and thats where the game would end as NCCU failed to get a rally going in the bottom of the ninth inning.

NCCU (0-1) was led by Hood who went 2-for-4 at the plate that included his first triple of the season with two outs in the fifth where he was left stranded. The Eagles move on to take on Delaware State on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 at the Durham Athletic Park.

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