Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Game One Box Score             Game Two Box Score


DURHAM, N.C. – After dropping game one to Savannah State 7-1, North Carolina Central University could not get the game-winning hits in the eighth and 10th innings of the second contest, leaving five runners stranded in the 4-2 defeat as the Tigers earned the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) series victory at the Durham Athletic Park on Saturday afternoon.
 
The most exciting contest of the afternoon was the second game which saw the Eagles jump out in front 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning.  In that frame junior right fielder Ronald Thompson (Chadbourn, N.C.) drilled his seventh double of the year to drive in the first run, while Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) recorded an RBI groundout.
 
Senior righty Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) cruised through the first two innings until Darien Campbell’s two out double turned into three straight hits that saw the Tigers tie the game at 2-2.  Frye went on to retire 13 of the next 15 batters after the third frame hiccup.
 
In both the seventh and eighth innings, the Eagle defense turned away SSU with double plays to keep the game tied, but the most dramatic play of the day came in the top of the ninth when Joseph McCrary’s fly ball to right field was caught by Thompson who then gunned Todd Hagen at home plate to keep the game tied and sending the NCCU dugout into a frenzy.
 
The Eagles were inches away from winning the game on two occasions starting in the eighth as Thompson drilled a grounder up the middle, but Campbell’s diving stab keep the ball in the infield which kept Akeem Hood from scoring on the play, and in the tenth Thompson’s single to right field was not enough as Spencer Franceschetti (Escalon, Calif.) was thrown out home trying to score from second.
 
Savannah State plated the game’s final runs in the top of the 11th after a Moore leadoff single, followed up by an Eagle throwing error and back-to-back hits by Hagen and Herilhy to give SSU the 4-2 lead.
 
NCCU mustered up just one hit in the bottom-half of the frame to drop the doubleheader by the score 4-2.
 
Despite recording a no-decision, Frye threw 8.0 innings allowing only three hits with two earned runs with six strikeouts.  He’s now three away from 200.
 
Game one saw NCCU commit four errors that began in the top of the third, and allowed the visiting Tigers to pounce to an early 1-0 lead.  After Lee Moore reached on an error, first baseman Kevin Herilhy’s RBI single plated the first run of the day.
 
The Tigers added to the 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Moore doubled to left field, then advanced to third on another Eagle error.  SSU ended up scoring two more runs to take a 3-0 advantage due to the NCCU mistakes.
 
In the top of the seventh, Herihly’s double drove in his second run of the first game to put Savannah State up at 4-0, and the Eagles scored the lone run of the game on Franceschetti’s bomb over the right field wall to cut the margin to three at 4-1.
 
That’s as close as the maroon and gray got in game one as SSU (23-17, 10-5 MEAC) added a run in the eighth and two runs in the ninth, while starter Kyle McGowin continued to dominate, earning his ninth win of the year working eight innings with seven strikeouts to give him 95 on the year, which leads the nation.
 
Offensively for the Eagles, Thompson had by far his best day going 4-for-8 (.500) with two doubles and an RBI.
 
NCCU (23-20, 10-10 MEAC) will look to avoid the sweep on Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m. with the Senior Day ceremonies set to begin at 12:45.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will air the pregame festivities with the Champps Pregame Show beginning at 12:40 p.m.
 
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.