Box Score
UMES vs. NCCU (Box Score)- 2013 MEAC Baseball Championships

NORFOLK, VA. – A combination of North Carolina Central University’s hot bats and a stellar pitching performance by junior righty Terry McNabb (Davidson, Sask.) was just what the Eagles needed to eliminate the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 10-4 on Thursday morning in the loser’s bracket of the 2013 MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Championships at Marty Miller Field in Norfolk, Va.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore struck first in the top of the second frame on third baseman Conner Breslin’s two RBI single up the middle that put the Hawks up 2-0.
 
NCCU fought right back when Eric Kimber (Greensboro, N.C.) drilled a fly ball to right field that was bounced in front of a diving Byron Campbell allowing Kimber to earn his first career triple as an Eagle, later scoring on Cory Williamson’s (Greensboro, N.C.) first RBI groundout of the day to cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
After a scoreless third for UMES, the maroon and gray dropped the hammer on the Hawks to the tune of four runs on five hits to take control of the game.  In that frame, junior Troy Marrow (Lutherville, Md.) drove in Luis Diaz (Geneva, N.Y.) who led off the inning on a UMES error that advanced him at third base, to tie the game at 2-2.  The ensuing batter, junior Carter Williamson (Roanoke, Va.), ripped his eighth double of the year down the right field line to move Marrow to third, then Kimber singled to see the Eagles take  a 3-2 lead, and Williamson put the Eagles up 4-2 on a RBI sacrifice bunt.  The final run of the inning came off the bat of freshman backstop James Dey (Charlotte, N.C.) who ripped a single to center field scoring Kimber and moved up to second base on the late throw home.
 
The Eagles weren’t done adding two more runs in the fourth led off by Diaz’s single to center field, followed up by Kimber’s second RBI single of the day to give NCCU a 6-2 lead, and Dey drove in his second RBI of the day with his second single to center field to make it 7-2 after four complete.
 
From the top of the third till the eighth, McNabb and the NCCU defense shut down the Hawks that included the Eagles second twin-killing of the day while retiring 11 of the next 14 batters faced.
 
After the maroon and gray scored two in the seventh, UMES put two on the board in the eighth, while the Eagles returned the favor in the bottom-half of that frame with game’s final runs, highlighted by junior Tyson Simpson’s (Burgaw, N.C.) RBI double down the left field line and to help NCCU pull away for the 10-4 victory.
UMES ends the 2013 campaign with an 8-45 mark overall and was led by Stephen Bull’s 3-for-5 effort at-the-plate with an RBI in the loss.  James “Chipper” Smith took the loss for the Hawks going 3.2 innings allowing seven runs on nine hits.
 
With the win, NCCU (26-28) ended a five-game losing skid and saw Kimber record his second three-hit game of the season as he finished 3-for-5 with a triple, three runs scored, and two RBI.  Simpson, Marrow, and Dey all racked up two hits as the Eagles amassed 14 hits, recording double figure hits for the 22nd time on the year.
 
McNabb (5-6) threw 7.0 strong innings scattering eight hits with two earned runs allowed with five strikeouts.
 
NCCU awaits the loser of the Savannah State/Norfolk State matchup in the second elimination game for the Eagles on Friday morning at 10:00 at Marty Miller 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.