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TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – Behind junior Luis Diaz’s (Geneva, N.Y.) 3-for-4 effort with an inside the park home run, triple, three RBI, and three runs scored the North Carolina Central University baseball team earned the series sweep over the host Rattlers of Florida A&M University with a 9-5 victory to extend the winning streak to four games on Sunday at Moore-Kittles Field in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
The win wraps up the first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference sweep at the Division I level for the Eagles. 
 
NCCU took control of the Sunday series finale with two outs in the top of the first inning when Diaz reached base with a walk and sophomore Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) singled to the right side to put runners on first and second.  The maroon and gray finished it off with back-to-back RBI singles by Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) and senior Ross Plummer (Winston-Salem, N.C.) to plate two runs and put the Eagles up 2-0 heading into the bottom of the first inning.
 
Florida A&M came right back at NCCU as the Rattlers put runners on first and second with no outs when Ruben Rios plunked the leadoff batter and FAMU’s John Scott reached on a bunt single.  After striking out starting center fielder Scott Sheplak, Rios went on to pick-off both runners on base to get the Eagles out of the threat in the first.
 
In the top of the third inning, Diaz ripped his first inside-the-park home run as an Eagle that drove in Anthony Wilson (Fort Washington, Md.) and put NCCU up 4-0.  Diaz now has four home runs on the season to sit No. 2 in the MEAC.
 
The bottom-half of the third saw the weekend’s top defensive play as Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) recorded his third twin-killing of the series by catching a weak liner hit by starting shortstop Tyler Lawson.  Drayton then immediately threw FAMU’s Reginald Grant out at first base after he left the base early.
 
With the score 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning the Rattlers finally plated a run on Jarryd Reid’s first triple of the season, scoring Khyri Hernandez from first base making it 4-1 in favor of NCCU after four complete innings.
 
The Eagle offense struck back in the fifth inning with back-to-back singles by Diaz and Marrow to begin the frame.  After a Williamson sacrifice bunt, freshman Tyler Murphy (Islip, N.Y.) ripped an RBI single to centerfield in which he advanced to second base on an error by FAMU’s Grant scoring Diaz and Marrow putting NCCU up 6-1.   Michael Romano (Spotslyvania, Va.) followed that up by driving in the third and final run of the frame to make it 7-1.
 
Florida A&M added a run to the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth after Plummer misplayed a bouncing ball in the outfield on Dylan West’s single.  West later scored on a sacrifice fly by Grant to make it 7-2 after five complete innings.
 
The maroon and gray bats got quiet in the sixth and seventh inning while FAMU put the pressure on the Eagles by scoring two runs in the sixth and a run in the seventh to make it a 7-5 ballgame down the stretch.  Both Rios and sophomore Jacob Russell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) came up with big strikeouts to end each frame to keep NCCU ahead.
 
The top of the eighth saw Simpson and Drayton reach base on back-to-back bunt singles to place runners at the corners with one out after Simpson advanced on a FAMU passed ball.  Wilson laid down a bunt that allowed Simpson to beat out a throw home to score but Drayton was gunned at third base plating a run making it 8-5.  With two outs, Diaz saved his best for last as he tripled to left centerfield to drive in Wilson and recorded his third triple of the weekend to plate the final run of the day at 9-5, giving NCCU the cushion it needed.
 
Russell retired the final three batters to finish off the sweep and send the Eagles to the 9-5 victory giving the maroon and gray their fourth straight win.
 
NCCU (8-22 overall, 6-6 MEAC) was led by Diaz this weekend who finished the three game set 7-for-11 (.636) with a home run, three triples, a double, five RBI, and eight runs scored along with three walks.   Simpson was right behind him at 7-for-14 with 4 RBI and three runs scored.  Marrow was 6-for-13 (.462) with five runs scored and two RBI, while going 3-for-5 with two runs scored on Sunday.

Ruben Rios (Fortuna, Calif.) earned his first win at NCCU by going six innings by scattering eight hits and allowing only three earned runs with three strikeouts.  Russell earned his first save of the season going three innings for the maroon and gray allowing only two hits in his relief effort.
 
In the short modern era of NCCU baseball the Eagles set some records over the weekend as the maroon and gray hit .395 as a team scoring 35 runs on 45 hits with 11 extra base hits in the three game series. Winners of four straight the Eagles have established a new Division I winning streak record after having never won more than two games in-a-row since the 2007 season at the NCAA’s Division II level.
 
The maroon and gray get back to action on Wednesday, April 4 back in the friendly confines of the historic Durham Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. as the Eagles battle former CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) foe the Trojans of Virginia State University at 6:00 p.m.  The NCCU Sports Network will be on the air at 5:45 p.m. with Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Co. to countdown to first pitch of Wednesday night’s affair.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.