Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Game One Box Score (HTML)


Game Two Box Score (HTML)


Radio Call of Carter Williamson's Game-Winning Hit vs. Bethune-Cookman

DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) –A flare for the dramatic seems to be the calling card for the North Carolina Central University baseball team as they earned a split with MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) power Bethune-Cookman University dropping a heartbreaker in game one 5-4, and taking game two 4-3 in extra innings in Saturday afternoon’s conference doubleheader presented by Spoken-4 Communications at the Durham Athletic Park.
 
The first game of the day pitted both team’s top pitcher with NCCU’s Sam Fulmer (Raleigh, N.C.) battling B-CU’s Rayan Gonzalez and it lived up to the billing.
 
In the bottom of the first inning Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) ripped a single up the middle on the first pitch of the frame.  Sophomore Tyson Simpson (Burgaw, N.C.) and junior Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) both singled to load the bases with no outs.  Following a Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) strikeout, Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) plated the first run of the day reaching on a fielder’s choice as Drayton scored from third to give the Eagles an early 1-0 advantage.
 
Fulmer was at his best allowing only one hit through the first four innings, including four strikeouts to keep the Wildcats scoreless.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, NCCU seemed to throw the knockout punch by adding three runs to the scoreboard as Anthony Wilson (Fort Washington, Md.) and Drayton both reached on singles and Simpson helped loaded the bases with Gonzalez’s only walk of the day.  After a Diaz sacrifice fly put NCCU up 2-0, Marrow’s RBI groundout gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead.  Williamson finished off the frame with a two-out RBI single putting NCCU up 4-0.
 
In the fifth and sixth inning Fulmer continued to cruise, in by far one of his best performances as an Eagle, but the Wildcats broke the seal in the top of the seventh inning when Jairo Acevedo and Jordan Taylor began the inning with back-to-back singles.  Acevedo scored on a fielder’s choice to plate B-CU’s first run of the day and cut the deficit to 4-1.  Moments later with two outs and Juan Piazzaro still at first, Fulmer picked him off to end the frame and give the Eagles more momentum holding onto a three-run lead.
 
After a scoreless eighth inning, B-CU woke up in the ninth as Alejandro Sanchez led off the frame with an infield hit, which ended the day for Fulmer. 
 
Junior Gavin Guarrera (Webster, N.Y.) came on in-relief and plunked the first batter and allowed a single by Taylor to load the bases with no outs.
Pizarro hit into a 1-2-3 double play which placed two outs on the board and put runners on second and third for B-CU, when Josh Johnson hit what seemed to be the final out with a grounder over to Simpson, but the sophomore’s throw was beaten by Johnson as he dove in safely at first, scoring Acevedo and making it 4-2 in favor of NCCU.
 
Centerfielder Brandon Turner drilled a full count pitch to left center field driving in three runs including Johnson all the way from first to complete the comeback and give B-CU the 5-4 lead.
 
In the bottom of the ninth behind two great Acevedo defensive plays, NCCU could not muster up the offense to tie the contest thus dropping game one 5-4.
 
Scott Garner threw two innings and earned the win for the Wildcats to even his record at 3-3 on the year.
 
For NCCU, Drayton finished the first game 2-for-4 with two runs scored, as Williamson also went 2-for-4 with two RBI giving him 33 on the year.
 
Game two was no different as junior Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) was pressed into duty at the last minute when junior righty Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) felt some discomfort as he was get ready in the bullpen which put the Eagles behind the eight ball to begin the contest.
 
Romano responded by throwing his best game as an Eagle.
 
NCCU jumped out in front once again on B-CU after Simpson reached base on a one-out walk, and Diaz punched his eighth double of the year down the left field line to put runners at second and third.  Simpson would later score on Marrow’s sacrifice fly to right field to give him 30 RBI on the year and the Eagles led 1-0.
 
Three straight hits for the Wildcats in the top of the second inning allowed B-CU to knot the game up at one but left two runners stranded in the frame. 
 
In the bottom of the fourth inning it was Drayton’s two out single to left field that drove in the both of the Eagle runs and put NCCU up 3-1.
 
B-CU immediately answered in the top of the fifth with a David Lee double down the line in left field scoring catcher Lenny Martinez and Turner tying the game at 3-3.
 
The Eagle bats were silenced in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings as was the case for the Wildcats as B-CU left three runners on base in the final two frames to send the second contest of the day into extra innings. 
 
Sophomore Jacob Russell (Winston-Salem, N.C.) came on in relief in the sixth and pitched brilliantly for NCCU that included a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth.
 
After a Diaz fly out to left field, Marrow was hit by Jordan Dailey pitch to put a runner on first with one out.  With an 0-2 count Williamson ripped the line drive down the right field line that rolled all the way to the wall and Marrow scored from first sending the Eagle dugout on the field in a pile-up as NCCU earned its first win over B-CU with a 4-3 win in extra innings.  Williamson was given credit with a double and recorded RBI No. 34 on the year.
 
Russell (2-6) earned the win with his three innings in-relief where allowed one hit with two strikeouts.  Dailey (5-5) took the loss for the Wildcats.  Despite earning a no-decision Romano threw five innings surrendered eight hits and allowed only three runs with two strikeouts a performance for the ages considering he was thrown into action at the last minute.
 
Williamson led the Eagles in the twinbill sponsored by Spoken-4 Communications as he went 4-for-8 (.500) on the afternoon with a double and three RBI, while Drayton and Diaz were both 3-for-8 (.375) at-the-plate as Drayton scored two runs and drove in two RBI, while Diaz had a double and an RBI to his credit on the day.
 
NCCU (13-27, 9-8 MEAC) will look to win the rubber match against Bethune-Cookman (24-16, 13-4 MEAC) on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have full coverage of the series finale beginning at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 22 as Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction Co. will count down to the first pitch of the third and final contest.  Play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks will call all the live action from the Durham Athletic Park.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on Twitter by following @NCCUAthletics and by using the hashtag #NCCUbaseball.
 
The weather forecast is calling for rain all day on Sunday, stay tuned for more updates.  The latest information will be sent out via Twitter, Facebook, E-Scores, and through e-mail.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.