DURHAM, N.C. – Bethune-Cookman University put together 25 total hits over two games and defeated North Carolina Central University 13-4 and 11-3 in a doubleheader sweep on March 19 at the Durham Athletic Park.

Michael Cruz (Aguadilla, P.R.) got things started with a bang for B-CU (8-11, 2-3 MEAC) as he hit a solo home run to give the Wildcats an early lead.  NCCU (9-11, 2-3 MEAC) responded with back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the inning from Zachary Marszal (Cary, Ill.) and James Dey (Charlotte, N.C.) and the Eagles took a 2-1 lead to the second frame.

Carlos Ortiz (Cleveland, Ohio) announced his return to the lineup with a solo shot cannoned off of the warehouse in right-center, and the Eagles went ahead 3-1 after three complete innings.

Alex Dandridge (Arlington, Texas) took the mound for game one and was rolling along early as he racked up seven strikeouts through the five innings.  The Wildcats were finally able to figure him out in the fifth, however as they forced NCCU to the bullpen when they batted around and struck for five runs.

B-CU batted around a second time in game one in the seventh and picked up another five runs to take a commanding 11-3 lead through seven frames.  The Wildcats finished off their scoring in game one with two homers in the ninth; a second from Cruz, and Clay Middleton (Oviedo, Fla.) hit one as well to have a 10-run buffer going to the bottom of the inning.

NCCU clawed one run back on an RBI double from Thomas Prospero (Batavia, N.Y.) to finish game one with a final score of 13-4.

Game two started as a quieter affair, due mainly to Wildcat starter Tyler Norris (Coral Springs, Fla.).  Norris struck out the first four batters he faced, and retired the first seven in order.  That streak was loudly broken apart by Christian Triplett (Wilkesboro, N.C.) who launched a missile that cleared the street behind the left field wall in the third inning.

B-CU came back to level the game at one in the fourth inning, and then really turned it on for the fifth.  The Wildcats batted around for the third time of the day and put nine runs on the board for a 10-1 lead.  B-CU added their final run on the third homer of the evening by Cruz, who finished the day 3-for-7 with three RBI.

Ortiz finished the explosive scoring for the day with a two-run home run to the balcony over the right field wall, and Ortiz finished with three RBI of his own.  Dey was one of two Eagles to collect three hits over the doubleheader, as he earned a double and drove in a run.

NCCU looks to bounce back against B-CU on Sunday afternoon, March 20 at 1:00 p.m., admission is free.  The game will be carried live on the NCCU Sports Network available at NCCUEaglePride.com, and live Twitter updates can be found by following @NCCUAthletics.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.