Box Score
Complete Box Score

DURHAM, N.C.- (NCCUEaglePride.com) - The North Carolina Central University baseball team is still in search of its first win in 2011 after dropping a tough 16-6 decision to Longwood University after battling back from a 4-0 deficit only to fall apart down the stretch on Wednesday afternoon at the Durham Athletic Park.

The visiting Lancers of Longwood set the tone of the afternoon affair from its leadoff batter Brant Jones hitting a solo shot to left center field to begin the ballgame putting LU up 1-0. Following a Dustin Sollars single and a Justin Lacy strikeout, Bobby Newman parked a home run over the short porch in right field that put the Lancers up 3-0 in the top of the first. Longwood ended up adding another run to take a 4-0 lead.

The Diamond Eagles were able to muster one run in the bottom of the first thanks to Nate Smith’s (Raleigh, N.C.) sacrifice fly to right field drove in junior Akeem Hood (Raleigh, N.C.) as NCCU trailed 4-1 after one inning.

Freshman Jacob Russell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and the NCCU defense held tight over the next three innings with a double-play, a pickoff, and solid pitching to keep Longwood at bay while the Eagles scratched back in the game, with a run in the third and a three run explosion in the fourth to take a short-lived 5-4 lead.

The three run fourth inning all started with junior Etienne Farquharson (Inagua, Bahamas) who singled to lead off the frame. Senior first baseman Blake Murray (Wendell, N.C.) ripped a double to the wall in left center field to drive in Farquharson and cut the deficit to 4-3. Hood’s single through the right side of the infield drove in Murray to tie the game at 4 and a bases loaded walk drove in the third run of the frame giving NCCU the 5-4 lead. The Eagles had a scary moment during the inning when sophomore Nate Smith (Raleigh, N.C.) had to leave the game after a player from Longwood accidently stepped on his hand during a stolen base attempt. Smith was forced out of the lineup and the energy of that inning seemed to go out the window.

Longwood responded two batters into the fifth with a two run bomb by Matt Dickason that started an onslaught of Lancer runs and Eagle mistakes, which was just enough for LU to score 12 runs in the final five innings. Hood drove in the final Eagle run of the day in the eighth with a blooper down the left field line as Longwood went on to win the ballgame 16-6.

Only two Eagles mustered multiple hits as leadoff man Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. Hood ended the day 3-for-5 from the dish with two RBIs and a run scored.


Helping the Lancer cause was Kyle Hall who struck out eight batters stopping any offensive momentum the Eagles had.


Longwood blasted six home runs in the win and evens their record at 5-5 on the year while NCCU drops to 0-9.

The Diamond Eagles have six days off before they head out on the road for a seven-game 13-day road trip. It begins with doubleheader action on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 down in Tallahassee, Fla. as NCCU takes on soon-to-be official conference foe Florida A&M. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.

Stay up-to-date with NCCU Athletics by logging onto www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of the North Carolina Central University Athletics Department.