DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University junior
Conrad Kovalcik (Detroit, Mich.) cranked two home runs including a ninth inning grand slam, but the Eagles fell to Campbell University 15-11 at the Durham Athletic Park on Tuesday, March 22.
NCCU (10-12) was able to take an early 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning thanks to runs driven in by
Trevor Theissen (Franklin, Wisc.) and
Ellington Hopkins (Lansing, N.Y.), however Campbell (12-10) knotted the game in the top of the fourth after Brian Taylor (Lillington, N.C.) stole third and came all the way around to score from second on a wild pitch.
Kovalcik broke the deadlock in the bottom of the fourth with his first homer of the day, a solo dinger that cleared the roof of the warehouse down the right field line. The Camels took that home run as a declaration of a challenge as they responded with back-to-back blasts in the fifth inning.
The first of those was a grand slam from Taylor, then Matt Parrish (McGee's Crossroads, N.C.) knocked one over the wall, and both pitches were sent to centerfield. Campbell racked up five runs in that inning, and took a 7-3 lead going to the sixth frame.
Theissen picked up his second RBI of the day on a double in the sixth inning to help bring the Eagles closer, and he finished the day 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.
The Camels found the combination for another five-run inning in the seventh, sparked by a two-run homer from Jimmy Monaghan (La Plata, Md.) and Campbell took a commanding 12-4 advantage to the seventh inning stretch.
NCCU refused to go away quietly, as
Carlos Ortiz (Cleveland, Ohio) rapped a two-RBI double to left field to keep the Eagles in the conversation. Campbell scored three more runs before the bottom of the ninth and took a 15-6 lead with the final three outs looming for the Eagles.
The Eagles started the inning with the first three batters reaching base, and then Kovalick unleashed a titanic grand slam that just stayed fair down the right field line to draw NCCU within five at 15-10. Theissen followed Kovalcik with a single and was brought in on an RBI single from Hopkins to make the score 15-11 with runners on the corners and two outs. However, the Eagles' comeback bid came one batter short of getting the tying run to the plate.
NCCU returns to Southern Division action on Friday with a doubleheader against Savannah State, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Durham Athletic Park, and admission is free. All games of the series 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.
