Box Score
Box Score:  NCCU at NC A&T (HTML)


GREENSBORO, N.C. – With its backs against the wall in need of a win, North Carolina Central University got an outstanding pitching effort along with timely hitting late to take the series finale from arch-rival North Carolina A&T by the final score of 4-2 on Sunday, April 7 at War Memorial Stadium in Greensboro, N.C.
 
With the win, NCCU (21-14, 9-6 MEAC) has tied the modern day record for wins in a season set by the 2007 squad who finished the year 21-24.
 
Sunday’s final contest was a defensive battle from the get-go as both teams reached base with leadoff singles only to fall short.  The Eagles threw out A&T’s Luke Tendler at home in the bottom of the first to keep the Aggies off the board, while Akeem Hood was left stranded when NCCU couldn’t drive him in.
 
In the bottom of the second, when A&T’s Dairio Little led off the frame with a single, he was later caught stealing by freshman backstop James Dey (Charlotte, N.C.) which was followed up by back-to-back strikeouts by Terry McNabb (Davidson, Sask.).
 
The play of the day came in the fifth inning when led started it all off with a triple to left center field.  After a Mark Nales groundout to third, Stefan Jordan hit a fly ball to right field in which junior Ronald Thompson (Chadbourn, N.C.) came up throwing, gunning Little at home to keep the game knotted up at 0-0.
 
In the top-half of the sixth, designated hitter Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.) reached on a two-out walk and nearly scored on Spencer Franceschetti’s (Escalon, Calif.) double to left field, but a perfect relay from Little to Tendler to Jordan at home stopped the maroon and gray in their tracks keeping the game scoreless.
 
NCCU made its move in the seventh with one out when redshirt sophomore Eric Kimber (Greensboro, N.C.) doubled over the center fielder’s head and then Dey drilled a single up the middle to drive in Kimber, scoring the first runs of the game to put the Eagles up 1-0.  After Hood’s single advanced Dey to third, shortstop Zack Lee (Wilson, N.C.) dropped down a sacrifice bunt to score Dey and put NCCU up 2-0.  The third and final run of the frame came on a Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) single to left field allowing him to move up on the fielding error by Little that scored Hood to give the maroon and gray the 3-0.
 
From the fifth inning on, McNabb retired 12-of-13 batters that including back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth to keep the Aggie bats silent.
 
NCCU’s fourth run of the day came on a Williamson sacrifice fly, driving in Lee to seemingly put NC A&T away.
 
Head coach Jim Koerner sent McNabb out on the mound for the ninth to finish his spectacular performance on the hill, and the junior nearly finished off the shutout, but Kelvin Freeman drilled his seventh home run of the year to cut the margin to 4-2, and that’s when senior closer Gavin Guarrera (Webster, N.Y.) came in to earn his modern day record save No. 14 as the Eagles salvaged a game in the series winning 4-2 over the Aggies.
 
McNabb (4-3) pitched a clutch 8.2 innings scattering six hits, allowing two earned runs with a walk and five strikeouts in the win.
 
A&T (11-21, 7-7 MEAC) hurler Tyler Boone (1-3) had no reason to drop his head throwing 8.0 innings with three earned runs allowed with five strikeouts in taking the loss.
 
Offensively, the Eagles were led by Kimber who recorded his first three-hit game at NCCU going 3-for-4 with his first career double and a run scored. Hood ended up 2-for-5 with a run scored, while Diaz was 2-for-4 with an RBI in the win.
 
The Eagles are now 7-8 since bringing the program back against the Aggies, but are 7-5 since reuniting with the MEAC.
 
NCCU will prepare for game three of its seven-game road swing which will take place Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m. against cross-town foe Duke University at Jack Coombs Field.
 
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.