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DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University baseball program looks to keep its current four-game winning streak going as the Eagles welcome in the Rattlers of Florida A&M University for a weekend conference series beginning with doubleheader action on Friday, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. with the finale taking place Saturday, March 23 at 1:00 p.m. at the Durham Athletic Park.
 
The series was originally scheduled for March 23-24, but due to the weather forecast for Sunday being heavy rain with a high of 37 degrees, officials were forced to move the series up a day.
 
NCCU (13-9, 5-4 MEAC) is coming off back-to-back wins over Coppin State including a 2-1 victory on Wednesday where the maroon and gray offense left 13 runners stranded.  It was in the bottom of the seventh when senior Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) ripped a triple down the right field line to tie the ballgame at one.  Pinch hitter Carter Williamson came on a recorded RBI No. 14 on the year with a sacrifice fly to left field, giving the Eagles the 2-1 advantage they never relinquished.
 
Florida A&M (1-21, 1-5 MEAC) enters the weekend dropping its last six contests with the Rattlers last win coming against Savannah State on March 10 by the score of 6-5.  The Rattlers are led by sophomore outfielder Marlon Gibbs who is hitting .383 at-the-dish with a double, triple, and three RBI. 
 
Head coach Jim Koerner will send MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Pitcher of the Week Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) to the hill in game one.  Romano (1-3, 5.11 ERA) earned honors for his performance back on March 9 against league power Bethune-Cookman where he threw eight innings and allowed no earned runs in a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats.  Florida A&M’s righty David Duncan (0-4, 4.85 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Rattlers in game one.
 
The second game of the twinbill is slated for seven innings per conference rule and senior righty Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) will go for the maroon and gray in his sixth start of the year.  Frye (2-1, 3.51 ERA) has throwing 33.1 innings and has amassed 26 K’s with only two walks on the year.  The probable starter for FAMU in game two is righthander Heath Blackburn (0-5, 8.18 ERA) who has logged 22.0 innings with 15 strikeouts and nine walks.
 
Saturday’s series final will see NCCU send out junior Terry McNabb (Davidson, Sask.) to the mound for his fifth start of the season.  McNabb (3-2, 2.76 ERA) is second on the team with 22 K’s on the year in 32.2 innings pitched on the year.  FAMU’s William Carrasco (0-3, 6.08 ERA) is slated to get the nod on Saturday as the freshman righty has worked 23.2 innings with 12 strikeouts on the year.
Entering the weekend, Florida A&M leads the series 8-to-7 but the Eagles have taken the last six matchups that includes sweeping both series last season.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have full coverage of the series beginning at 2:45 p.m. on Friday, March 22 with the Champps Pregame Show as Chris Hooks counts listeners down to first pitch of the crucial MEAC twinbill.  Saturday’s air time for the series finale is slated for 12:45 p.m.  Fans can interact with Hooks during the broadcast by sending tweets to @NCCUAthletics and by sending e-mails to whooks@nccu.edu or nccusn@nccu.edu.
 
For more information about NCCU athletics, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com or download the NCCU Sports Network app available in the App Store, Google Play and Amazon.