Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game One Box Score (HTML)


Game Two Box Score (HTML)

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – The North Carolina Central University baseball team scored and recorded a season-high 18 hits and runs in game one and outlasted Florida A&M in extra innings in game two earning the sweep in doubleheader action over the Rattlers 18-3, 8-3 on Saturday afternoon and Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
The wins give the maroon and gray the second MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) series win of the season and puts NCCU in position to earn its first series sweep at the Division I level.
 
Entering play on Saturday, the Eagles and the Rattlers had met nine previous times and NCCU struck the first blow in game one breaking up a scoreless game in the top of the third inning when sophomore Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) led off with an infield single.  After Anthony Wilson (Fort Washington, Md.) moved Drayton to second on a sacrifice bunt, junior Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) ripped his second triple of the season to bring Drayton around from second base putting the Eagles up 1-0.  After a Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.), RBI groundout to put NCCU up 2-0, sophomore Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) drilled his fourth double of the season to put a runner on second base with two outs.  Senior Ross Plummer (Winston-Salem, N.C.) walked and freshman Deion Doubledee (Wilson, N.C.) hit his first career double, driving in his third RBI of the season putting the maroon and gray up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third.
 
The Eagles plated two more runs in the fourth inning to grab a 5-0 lead after freshman Tyler Murphy (Islip, N.Y.) led off with a single and was driven in by Diaz’s RBI double to give the outfielder 16 RBI on the season.  Williamson recorded RBI No. 18 of the season on an infield hit that bounced off a Rattler player’s face as Diaz scored on the play. 
 
Florida A&M fell apart in the fifth inning as NCCU put the hammer down on the Rattlers scoring five more runs during a light rain storm with two outs that all began on an error by the FAMU first baseman allowing Murphy to reach first base.  After a Drayton walk and two wild pitches allowing Tyler Murphy to score, Wilson recorded an RBI single putting NCCU up 7-0.  After Diaz was plunked by a pitch, Marrow’s RBI single put NCCU up 8-0 and Williamson’s second double of the day put the Eagles ahead 10-0.
 
The Rattlers scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but the maroon and gray answered with two more runs in the eight on RBI groundouts to stretch the lead back out to 12-2. 
 
FAMU plated a run in the eighth and the Eagles added six more runs that began on Wilson crushed his first home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.  NCCU made it 18-3 on five hits one Florida A&M error as the Eagles rolled to the 18-3 game one win.
 
Five different Eagles recorded multiple hits with Wilson finished 3-for-5 at the plate with a home runs, two runs, and two RBI.  Williamson also finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI, and two runs scored.  Diaz finished game one 2-for-4 with a triple, double, four runs scored and two RBI in the win.  Marrow ended the first game 2-for-4 as well with two runs and two RBI, while sophomore Tyson Simpson (Burgaw, N.C.) went 2-for-6 with a run and two RBIs to contribute to the huge win for the Eagles.
 
Starter Sam Fulmer (Raleigh, N.C.) earned his second win of the season and threw his first complete game of the year scattering seven Rattlers hits and recording seven strikeouts for NCCU.
 
Game two was a pressure-packed pitcher’s duel between the maroon and gray’s Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) and FAMU’s David Duncan.
 
In the bottom of the second inning, starting right fielder for Florida A&M Aaron Smith creamed a 2-2 pitch from Frye over the left center field wall to put the Rattlers ahead 1-0.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Drayton made the play of the day turning a 6-4-3 double play to keep the Rattlers at bay. In fact, the sophomore shortstop turned two twin-killings in game two to thwart any FAMU momentum.
 
The scored remained 1-0 in favor of the Rattlers until the top of the fifth inning when Plummer led off with his second double of the day, ninth of the season putting a runner in scoring position with no outs.  A sacrifice bunt by Murphy, and an RBI single by Michael Romano tied the game at 1-1.
 
The following inning with two outs and nobody on, Diaz crushed his second triple of the day down the right field line and later scored to put NCCU ahead 2-1 on a passed ball.
 
With game two slated for seven innings, the Eagles needed six outs to earn the sweep and it looked that way as Frye struck out all three batters in the bottom of the sixth inning to give him seven on the afternoon.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Smith reached on a Drayton throwing error and later scored on first team All-MEAC Jarryd Reid’s double to tie the game at 2-2. 
 
With two outs and the bases loaded head coach Jim Koerner brought in closer Gavin Guarrera (Webster, N.Y.) and kept the game tied as he struck out FAMU’s Sean Bailey.
 
The contest moved into extra innings and the Eagles made their final move of the day that began on Simpson’s leadoff single to right field followed up by a Drayton sacrifice bunt.  Wilson was hit by a pitch and Diaz ground out to second base seemingly ending the threat, but Marrow’s fly ball to right field was misplayed by Reid and the Eagles used that error to score six more runsthat included singles by Plummer and Alex Moore (Greensboro, N.C.) as the maroon and gray took an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
Florida A&M plated one run but could not come back, thus dropping the contest 8-3 and the Eagles earned the doubleheader sweep.
 
On the day, Diaz was the offensive hero finishing 4-for-7 (.571) with a double, two triples, five runs scored, and two RBI.  Williamson ended up 4-for-8 (.500) with two doubles, three runs scored, and three RBI.  Simpson was the third and final Eagles to record four hits on the day going 4-for-10 (.400) with four RBI and two runs scored.
 
Guarrera (2-3) earned the win going one-and-two-thirds with two strikeouts in relief.  Frye despite earning a no-decision allowed only six hits, one earned run, and struck out seven batters.
 
NCCU (7-22 overall, 5-6 MEAC) looks to earn the series sweep over Florida A&M (5-25, 3-5 MEAC) in the finale on Sunday.  Game time has been changed to 12:00 p.m. at Moore-Kittles Field.  A win for the Eagles would mark their first series sweep at the Division I level in conference play.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will go on the air at 11:45 a.m. with Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Co.  Play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call all the live action from Moore-Kittles Field on Sunday.  Fans can also follow the live action of the Sunday matinee on twitter by following @NCCUAthletics on twitter and by using #NCCUbaseball as the hashtag.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.