Box Score
Game One Box Score
DURHAM, N.C. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – Trying to salvage a game in the three-game mid-week set, the North Carolina Central Eagles could not hang on to a 7-0 lead after three innings, allowing the Rattlers of Florida A&M University to score 12 runs in the last six innings to run away with the 12-9 sweep clinching win on Wednesday afternoon at the Durham Athletic Park.
With the weather cooperating unlike Tuesday evening, NCCU came out fired up from the get go taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on sophomore Nate Smith’s (Raleigh, N.C.) RBI single driving in Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) who reached on a walk. Despite leaving two runners on NCCU took a 1-0 lead after one, and added two more in the second frame freshman Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) came home on a throwing error by Florida A&M at third base and Drayton doubled to left center field to drive in RBI No. 12 on the season giving the Eagles a 3-0 advantage after two.
The Diamond Eagles exploded in the third inning for four more runs that began with Marrow’s eighth double of the season, and advanced to third on an error by FAMU second baseman Oscar Santalo that enabled freshman Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) to reach base. Following a wild pitch that scored Marrow and a Blake Murray (Wendell, N.C.) walk, Akeem Hood (Raleigh, N.C.), Drayton, and Plummer all drove in the last three runs of the frame to take a 7-0 lead after three complete innings.
Florida A&M scored its first two runs of the game in the fourth that was aided by an Eagle error, but John Scott who replaced Santalo at second ripped an RBI single to drive in Jarryd Reid and cut the Eagle advantage to 7-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
NCCU added one more run in the home half of the fourth inning with a sacrifice fly by Williamson as he recorded his team-leading 18th RBI on the season and the Eagles held an 8-2 lead and looked be in cruise control for the win.
In the fifth, FAMU scored two more runs to cut the deficit to 8-4, but in the seventh inning the flood gates blew wide open to the tune six runs on three hits and two Eagle errors that saw the comeback completed as the Rattlers took a 10-8 lead. The highlight of the inning came on Reid’s double down the left field line that made it a one-run ballgame at 8-7. Scott, the ensuing batter hit his second RBI single of the day to tie the game at 8. The final two runs of the inning were scored due to an Eagle throwing that would have kept the game tied, but two more runs scored and the damage had been done.
The Rattlers (13-26) added run No. 11 in the eighth inning with two doubles by Tobi Adeyemi and the superstar of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Cory Franklin to put the FAMU lead at 11-8.
NCCU (4-30) did score a run in the eighth off the bat of senior Edward Pegues (Laurinburg, N.C.) to drive in Nate Smith, recording his 13th RBI of the season cutting the margin to two at 11-9.
Trailing by two runs in the ninth, the Eagles allowed FAMU’s leadoff batter of the frame, Ryan Sheplak, reach base on a walk. He then found his way over to third and later scored on a throwing error that put the game out of reach for the Eagles at put the game at its final score of 12-9 finishing off the series sweep in the comeback win for Florida A&M.
Drayton finished 2-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored, while infield mate Marrow went 2-for-2 with three walks and a double.
The Eagles have no time to bask on the defeat as they hit the road in preparation for a rematch with the Lancers of Longwood University at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 14 at Lancer Stadium in Farmville, Va.
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