March 20, 2010

Final Stats

GLEN BURNIE, MD. (NCCUEaglePride.com)- The North Carolina Central University baseball team collected 11 hits in two games and left a combined 13 runners on base dropping both games against host Coppin State University 1-0, 6-5 on Saturday afternoon in two seven-inning affairs at the Bachman Sports Complex to fall in all three contests in the weekend set. CSU now owns a 5-2 advantage in the series.

Game one of the twinbill saw junior Drew Robinson's (Carthage, N.C.) three-hitter spoiled by the silent NCCU offense that managed just one hit in the ballgame. Robinson (0-4) threw a complete game for the first time as an Eagle managing just five walks while striking out three in the loss. The lone run of the game was scored in the bottom of the sixth inning when Coppin State's Derek Richards reached on one of the three NCCU errors. A Robinson balk and a groundout moved Richards over to third base setting up the game's only run on a sacrifice fly by Mark Reynoso of Coppin State.

With a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh, the Eagles put its only runner on third base and could not tie the game up. In the loss, the visiting Eagles left just four runners on base.

Game two saw the NCCU bats awake to the tune of 10 hits, but the Eagles left nine runners stranded.

The visiting Eagles trailed 2-1 going into the fourth inning, and that's when Dr. Henry White's squad made its move. Three Coppin State errors along with two Eagle hits put NCCU ahead 4-2. Ross Plummer (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Blake Murray (Wendell, N.C.), and Robert Grant (Graham, N.C.) all reached on errors, while Akeem Hood (Raleigh, N.C.) and Kurt Wilson (Riverdale, Ga.) both hit singles to drive in all three runs and helped grab the lead for NCCU.

The visiting Eagles added one more run in the fifth to widen its margin at 5-2, but it didn't last long as Coppin State scored the game's final four runs, including three runs in the fifth inning on five hits to tie the game up at 5. CSU scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth when Harry Williams doubled in Dan Gleiberman to put the host Eagles on top for good.

NCCU's last at-bat saw runners on first and second base with one out but unfortunately the visiting Eagles could not muster up another rally to fall in game two by final score of 6-5.

In only two innings of work, junior lefty Brandon Oatis (Matthews, N.C.) took the loss for the Eagles. Oatis (0-4) gave up two runs on five hits and came in to relieve Jeff Citero (Raleigh, N.C.) who allowed only three earned runs in four innings of work.

NCCU (0-18) gets back on the road on Wednesday, March 24 against UNC Asheville for a 2:00 p.m, showdown between the in-state foes at the Greenwood Baseball Field.

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