Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

SAVANNAH, GA. (NCCUEaglePride.com) – Tied at six in the bottom of the eighth inning of game one, the North Carolina Central University baseball team allowed Savannah State University to score ten runs in that frame which propelled the host Tigers to not only the game one win, but the twinbill sweep winning 16-6, 11-0 on Friday afternoon at Tiger Field in Savannah, Ga.

Good Friday started out on a high note for the maroon and gray bolting out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning after four consecutive hits including sophomore Nate Smith’s (Raleigh, N.C.) double to right field that cleared the bases and drove in three runs capping off the frame.

Savannah State’s aggressive bats answered in the home-half of the first inning thanks to a three-run dinger by Joseph McCrary followed by two consecutive walks that were driven in by a sacrifice fly and three Tiger batters being hit by a pitch. SSU took a 5-4 on the heels of just one hit in the bottom of the first.

NCCU tied the game at five when an error by SSU’s hurler Kevin Herilhy allowed senior Edward Pegues (Laurinburg, N.C.) to advance to third base. Pegues plated the tying run of the bat of Smith’s fourth RBI of the first game as he recorded a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Diamond Eagles took their second lead of the day when freshman Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) doubled to lead off the frame and late scored as Smith’s fifth RBI of the day came on an RBI ground out giving NCCU the 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth.

SSU tied it at six in the bottom of the seventh and exploded in the bottom of the eighth to break open a tie game scoring 10 runs on just six hits which ended the game because of the 10-run rule giving the host Tigers the 16-6 win in game one.

The emotional toll of game one carried over to the final game of Friday’s twinbill as the Eagles managed just three hits, had four miscues, and left just four runners on base dropping the final contest of the day 11-0.

The second game of the day was slated for seven innings and the Eagles trailed just 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth when disaster struck for NCCU, that got rolling when SSU’s Dexter Kelley hit a single that drove in two runs putting the Tigers up 4-0. Later in the frame, Matt Nowacki singled scoring two more runs. With the score at 6-0, SSU added five more finishing the frame with nine runs on seven hits with one Eagle error to pull away for the 11-0 win.

Smith highlighted the entire day for NCCU going 2-for-3 in game one with a double, five RBIs and one run scored in the loss.

The doubleheader sweep drops the Diamond Eagles record to 6-35 on the year and NCCU will look to salvage a game in the weekend set beginning at 1:00 p.m. from Tiger Field in Savannah, Ga.

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