Box Score
Final Box Score (HTML)


DURHAM, N.C. (www.NCCUEaglePride.com) – In the rubber match finale on Sunday afternoon, Longwood University went deep six times, racking up runs in all but three innings of the contest as the Lancers clinched the weekend series with a 23-8 victory over the Eagles at the Durham Athletic Park.
 
The win clinches the season series for LU, as the Lancers finished the 2012 campaign 3-2 against the Eagles.  Longwood leads the all-time series 9-2 over the maroon and gray.
 
NCCU jumped out front in the first frame thanks in part to junior Luis Diaz’s (Geneva, N.Y.) sixth double of the season.  After sophomore Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.), was hit by a pitch, Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) hit a hard grounder towards Longwood shortstop Matt Dickason who misplayed the ball, allowing Diaz to score from second base on the error plating the first run of the game, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
 
Longwood answered in the second inning after Joey Varaksa led off the frame with a double when third baseman Alex Owens crushed his second home run of the season to right field putting the Lancers ahead 2-1. 
 
LU poured on five more runs in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead that included a Owens’ three-run blast, his second long ball of the day giving the Lancers the six-run advantage. 
 
NCCU quietly answered in the bottom of the third with an RBI single by Williamson which gave him a team-high 24 on the season, cutting the margin to five at 7-2.
 
The Lancers were nowhere near finished as Longwood scored over the next four innings that included four more round trippers.  Owens finished the afternoon 4-for-4 with four runs scored and seven RBI with three home runs and a single.
 
Longwood’s Robby Newman got into the act in the fourth and the sixth with home runs as well, as did leading hitter Justin Lacy who recorded a home run in the fifth.
 
The Lancers amassed 20 hits on the day, just two shy of a season-high set by an opponent as  Duke clubbed 22 hits on Feb. 22.
 
Despite the large deficit of 23-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Eagles didn’t quit.  NCCU scored four runs on seven hits including an RBI double by sophomore Alex Moore (Greensboro, N.C.).  Freshman Kendrick Jackson (Camden, N.C.) also recorded his first career hit and RBI with a single to left field.
 
The Eagles added a final run in the eighth frame to put the score at its final resting place as Longwood cruised to the 23-8 win.
 
Despite the loss, Diaz led the Eagle attacked with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate that included a double and four runs scored.  Williamson went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored to give him 25 RBI on the season, which is tops on the team.
 
Ruben Rios (1-2) took the loss for the Eagles, while Ryan Schubert (3-1) earned the victory for the Lancers (17-16).
 
NCCU (10-24, 6-6 MEAC) will take on in-state foe Campbell on Wednesday night at 6:00 p.m. from the Durham Athletic Park, and will get back into conference action this weekend as the arch-rival Aggies of North Carolina A&T come to the Bull City for what will be a huge league matchup this Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of Wednesday night’s mid-week battle against the Camels.  Play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will go on the air with Eagle Gameday built by Dayeco Construction at 5:45 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  Fans can also follow Eagle baseball on twitter by following @NCCUAthletics and by using the #NCCUBaseball hashtag.
 
Stay up-to-date with North Carolina Central University Athletics by flying over to www.NCCUEaglePride.com, the official website of NCCU Athletics.