March 27, 2010

Final Stats

DOVER, Del. - North Carolina Central University (5-23) proved that they can hang with tournament-host Delaware State University (11-8), holding them to just six runs as the Lady Eagles fell to the Hornets, 6-0, Saturday evening in their second game of the Sean Savage Epilepsy Awareness Tournament in Dover, Del.

Delaware State defeated NCCU, 15-11, in Durham earlier this season, showing that the Lady Eagles put on a much better defensive effort than their previous meeting with the Hornets and in their earlier game of the day, where they dropped a 13-1 decision to Howard. Both teams put on an impressive defensive effort.

The Lady Eagles held the Hornets scoreless through the first two innings before Delaware State crossed two in the third to take a 2-0 lead. It didn't take long for the Hornets to extend their lead as they scored one more in the fourth to jump to a 3-0 advantage. NCCU held Delaware State at three through the next two innings until a double and a two-RBI homerun from the Hornet offense in the seventh lifted the Hornets to a 6-0 win.

Picking up the loss for the Lady Eagles was freshman pitcher Kayla McPeek (2-7), who pitched a complete game. Delaware State recorded six runs and nine hits off of McPeek as she walked one and struck out two. The Westerville, Ohio, native allowed just three earned runs and dropped to 2-7 in the circle.

Andrea Searls anchored the Lady Eagle offense, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Searls was assisted by Michelle Ishida, who went 1-for-3 on the day. Desanbra Franklin contributed a walk as the Lady Eagles totaled two walks and six strikeouts, while going 2-for-23. The Lady Eagles committed three errors on the defensive end.

NCCU struggled to find their offense as they recorded just four base runners and left all four on base. The first, second, third and sixth innings saw just three batters each for the NCCU lineup as the Delaware State defense sat them down three at a time with the Lady Eagles notching their first hit in the fourth.

Ishida singled with two outs in the fourth and advanced to second on an error by the Delaware State centerfielder, giving the Lady Eagles their first hit and their first base runner of the game. Franklin was sat down on a 5-3 putout to close the inning, as the Lady Eagles totaled zero runs, one hit and one error with one left on base.

The Lady Eagles would see some more action in the fifth as Searls led the inning off with a single up the middle. She earned a spot on second off an illegal pitch, putting a runner in scoring position for NCCU. Unfortunately, the next three batters were retired leaving Searls on second.

Going into the seventh, NCCU remained scoreless. The Lady Eagles had their best outing, earning two base runners, the most of the game. With one out, back-to-back walks to Franklin and Searls would give the Lady Eagles two onboard. Nadia Moreta replaced Franklin on the bases and earned a spot on second off a wild pitch. Unfortunately, Moreta and Searls were held at their spots as the next two batters were retired.

Hornet pitcher Amber Coburn (4-2) was responsible for the two-hit shut-out over the Lady Eagles as she picked up her fourth win of the season. Coburn allowed just two hits, while striking out six in a complete game. The freshman was the same one to throw against the Lady Eagles in their previous outing.

Leading the Delaware State offense was Jordan Reid, who went 2-for-4 with a triple. She was assisted by Breanne Parr, who hit a pinch-hit two-RBI homerun to centerfield in the seventh to give the Hornets a 6-0 advantage. Allison Rubin, Coburn and Rachel Carroll each hit a double to add to Delaware State's nine-hit outing.

The Hornets went 9-for-28 with six runs, four RBIs, one walk and two strikeouts. They also tallied the only stolen base of the day, which came from Rubin in the third. NCCU's heads-up defense made it tough for the Hornets to steal as NCCU catcher Searls caught two Delaware State runners stealing.

NCCU dropped to 5-23 on the season and stands at 0-2 in this weekend's tournament. Delaware State improved to 11-8 on the season. The Lady Eagles will return to action tomorrow, March 28 when they face Colgate and Maryland Eastern Shore in the final day of tournament action.

The Lady Eagles will start Sunday off with a 9 a.m. matchup with Colgate to start day two action before concluding the tournament with Maryland Eastern Shore at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the Delaware State University Softball Complex, which is also known as the Hornets' Nest.

For more information on Lady Eagle softball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.