May 8, 2010

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

PRINCESS ANNE, MD. (NCCUEaglePride.com)- Taking on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for the fourth and fifth time in the last two seasons, the North Carolina Central University baseball team were unable to overcome costly big innings and numerous miscues as the Hawks swept the Eagles on day one of the weekend four-game set 12-2, 19-15 at Hawks Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Hawks sees NCCU's record fall to (2-43) on the year while UMES is now (7-39) in 2010.

The Eagles were highlighted by impressive offensive performance from sophomore backtop Etienne Farquharson (Inagua, Bahamas) who was a stellar 5-for-6 (.833) with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Senior Kurt Wilson (Riverdale, Ga.) hit for the cycle on the day going 4-for-8 at the dish with his second home run of the season, his first triple of the year, and his sixth double.

The Eagles were outhit 31-19 on the day and both teams combined for 28 errors.

In game one of the twinbill, the Diamond Eagles scored one of its two runs in the top of the second inning on a solo home run from Kurt Wilson (Riverdale, Ga.) who is playing in his final series at NCCU.

UMES used the next two innings to score nine unanswered runs to grab a 9-1 lead, thanks to nine runs on nine hits and put the game away in the fifth with three more runs and held on from there to run away with the 12-2 win.

Game two had all sort of offensive fireworks as the Eagles tied its season-high in runs with 15, but the disappointing part for NCCU is they stormed out to a 7-1 lead. In the first inning, the Hawks committed five errors that aided in the Eagles scoring five runs in the first frame. The two top offensive stars of the day drove in runs in the second inning as Farquharson's bunt single scored senior Justin Goodson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and Kurt Wilson drove in Farquharson on an infield single that put NCCU up 7-1 heading into the bottom of the second.

The Diamond Eagles' lead was short-lived as UMES immediately knotted the ballgame up at 7 with six runs on six hits that were helped out by two more Eagle errors.

With the game tied at 7 apiece, the Hawks were able to keep the Eagles off the board in the top of the third, and proceeded to explode for nine runs in the bottom half of the inning to snatch at 16-7 lead. In that inning UMES sent 14 batters to the plate, and were aided by Tre von Johnson's three-run triple that gave the Hawks the jolt in the nine-run inning.

Give the Eagles credit as they went on to score four runs in both the four in the fifth inning, which included Kurt Wilson's first triple of the season that drove in teammates Anthony Wilson (Fort Washington, Md.) and Farquharson.

Even though the Hawks were able to plate a run in the bottom of the fourth to hold on to the 17-11 lead, the Eagles kept on battling by scoring four more runs in the fifth thanks to three doubles (Goodson, Smith, and Kurt Wilson) that got the Eagles back within two at 17-15.

UMES added another run in the bottom of the fifth and in the sixth to hold on to a 19-15 advantage down the stretch.

The Eagles couldn't muster up enough offense to tie the ballgame back up leaving five runners on base in the last two innings to fall in the second game of the twinbill 19-15.

The Eagles are now 1-4 against UMES in the last two seasons.

Sunday will see a "Mother's Day" doubleheader that will end the 2010 season for the Diamond Eagles as both Drew Robinson (Carthage, N.C) and Joseph Cobb (Raleigh, N.C.) will go to the hill for NCCU in the second day of action. First pitch for the Sunday twinbill is set for 12:00 p.m. from Hawks Stadium.

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