Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Box Score:  NCCU at NC A&T (Game 1)          Box Score:  NCCU at NC A&T (Game 2)


GREENSBORO, N.C. – After combining for 22 hits in two games, the Aggies of North Carolina A&T clinched its first series against the Eagles of North Carolina Central University since re-joining the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) by taking game one 11-8, and game two 7-3 in doubleheader action on Saturday, April 6 at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
Game one saw both teams combine for 21 hits, seven errors, and 11 walks as the Aggies took an 3-2 after the first inning as an Eagle error, followed up by a Kelvin Freeman single, gave designated hitter Cameron Jergens all he need to crank his first home run of the season over the right field field, putting NC A&T up 3-2.
 
NC A&T kept the pressure up scoring eight runs in the first three innings to take an 8-3 lead, but the Eagles made a big move in the fifth, headlined by a Ronald Thompson (Chadbourn, N.C.) RBI single up the middle to cut the margin to two at 8-6.
 
The Aggies were not going to be denied after a leadoff walk to Dylan Hipp was followed up by Freeman’s first triple of the year leading to two more A&T runs to stretch the lead to 10-6. 
 
Over the final three innings, the Eagles weren’t able to get the offense going dropping the first contest by the final score of 11-8.
 
NCCU hurler Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, Va.) lasted just 2.2 innings allowing five earned runs along with five walks in taking the loss, while Brent Moore (4-4) earned the victory going 6.2 innings with five strikeouts only allowing three earned runs.
 
A&T’s volatile offense picked it up in game two led by Luke Tendler’s leadoff double in the bottom of the first, later scoring on a single by Jergens to put the Aggies up 1-0.
 
NCCU fought back with two in the top of the second inning, highlighted by yet another Thompson RBI single to right field to put the Eagles ahead 2-1.
 
Moving to the bottom of the third, NC A&T recorded four straight hits including a second Tendler double to right field as the Aggies plated three runs to take a commanding 4-2 lead.
 
After a Dylan Drayton (Raleigh, N.C.) RBI single in the fourth, the maroon and gray had runners at the corners and one out when Thompson grounded into an inning ending double play as the host Aggies held on to the 4-3 lead.
 
A&T added a run in the bottom of the fourth and put the final dagger in the Eagles in the bottom of the fifth with a Brandon Wilkerson two-RBI single to right field putting the contest at its final score of 7-3.
 
Senior hurler Glenn Frye (Lillington, N.C.) threw 4.2 innings surrendering seven runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts to give him 186 career K’s at NCCU in taking the loss to move to 3-3 on the year.
 
A&T starter Josh Ganus (3-4) threw a complete game allowing three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts to earn the victory.
 
Despite losing both games, Spencer Franceschetti (Escalon, Calif.) led the Eagles going 3-for-6 at-the-plate (.500 BA) with an RBI, a stolen base and a walk.  Thompson finished 3-for-8 (.375 BA) with three RBI. 
 
The maroon and gray had no extra base hits, while NC A&T (11-20, 7-6 MEAC) recorded six doubles, a triple, and a home run in the doubleheader sweep.
 
NCCU (20-14, 8-6 MEAC) looks to salvage a game in the series on Sunday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. as junior right handed hurler Terry McNabb (Davidson, Sask.) looks to improve upon his shortest outing of the year against UNCG where he last 0.1 inning giving up seven runs on six hits.
 
The NCCU Sports Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the series finale beginning at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 7 with the Champps Pregame Show as play-by-play voice Chris Hooks will call all the live action from War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.  Listeners are encouraged to interact with Hooks on Twitter by following @NCCUAthletics and by using the hashtag #NCCUBaseball.  Fans can also send Hooks an e-mail at whooks@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.