Box Score

Final Box Score (HTML)

Jim Koerner Postgame Comments following Series win over A&T


GREENSBORO, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – Two huge innings, solid pitching, and clutch defense were the recipe for success for North Carolina Central University as the Eagles earned the series victory over arch-rival North Carolina A&T following a 12-9 rollercoaster win on Sunday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
The first two innings saw neither team get on the board, but the maroon and gray struck first with two outs in the top of the third when Dylan Drayton’s (Raleigh, N.C.) bunt landed him on first base with an infield single.  After Anthony Wilson (Fort Washington, Md.) was hit by a pitch Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) reached on an Aggie error to load the bases.  Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) earned the first RBI of the day as he was plunked by Brent Moore, and then the Eagles opened it up when senior Ross Plummer (Winston-Salem, N.C.) doubled up the middle to drive in a run putting NCCU up 3-0.  A wild pitch put the Eagles up 4-0, and a Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) singled to center field gave NCCU a 5-0 lead.
 
It took until the fifth inning for the Aggie offense to awake as Sunday starter, Jacob Russell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) had a two-hit shutout going until A&T’s Lee Taylor singled to right field, followed by an Andre McKoy walk.  Russell’s fielding error on Carvell Copeland’s bunt down the first base side allowed for A&T to score four runs on four hits, but NCCU held on to a 5-4 advantage after five complete.
 
A&T tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with two outs when McKoy got caught in a rundown but backstop Stefan Jordan touched home plate before the tag was applied knotting the game up at 5-5 after six innings.
 
The seventh inning became the turning point of the game as the Eagles plated seven runs on six hits, while also getting help from two Aggie errors which put NCCU ahead for good at 12-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh.  The maroon and gray were able to muster up the runs by loading the bases with no outs as  Wilson, Diaz, Marrow, and Williamson all recorded an RBI, but senior Etienne Farquharson (Inagua, Bahamas) drove in two RBI with a single up the middle in the big inning for the Eagles.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, NCCU allowed the Aggies to score two runs highlighted by Dairio Little’s RBI double to left center field as A&T tried to mount a rally trailing 12-7 after seven complete.
 
Two more runs would be plated by NC A&T in the eighth inning with two outs on the board as Michael Radford’s double to left field and Marquis Riley’s single to right field cut the deficit to three at 12-9. 
The game ended on a diving grab by Plummer as the Aggie rally in the ninth fell short as NCCU clinched the series win with a 12-9 final score.
 
Despite not being credited with the victory, Russell threw four-and-one-third innings allowing only three hits, three earned runs, and struck out one batter in his best performance of the season on the hill.
 
Gabe Brown (Rocky Mount, N.C.) earned his first win at NCCU by throwing just one inning and allowing one hit.  Gavin Guarrera (Webster, N.Y.) earned his second consecutive save by going three innings and allowing two earned runs with a strikeout for the Eagles.
 
The Eagles ripped out 12 hits on the day but was led by Williamson’s 3-for-5 effort at-the-dish as the sophomore plated one run and drove in two RBI for the Eagles in the win.  Williamson led NCCU with four RBI on the weekend.
 
For the weekend, Diaz led the Eagles at-the-plate going 6-for-13 (.462 batting average) with three runs scored, a double and two RBI.
 
The significance of Sunday’s win gives NCCU its first conference series win since 2007, the first of which at the Division I level.  The Eagles are also in the upper portion of the Southern Division of the MEAC with a 2-1 record, tied with Florida A&M who took two-of-three from perennial MEAC power Bethune-Cookman.
 
NCCU (3-13, 2-1 MEAC) with a two-game winning streak, looks ahead to its next road contest on Tuesday, March 13, against Davidson College at 6:00 p.m. from Wilson Field in Davidson, N.C.  The NCCU Sports Network will be on the air at 5:45 p.m. as Chris Hooks will call the action of the Eagles eighth meeting with the Wildcats.  Davidson holds a 7-0 lead in the series. 
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.