DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University pitching staff held Duke University scoreless for eight straight innings and only allowed two hits during that span, but the Blue Devils rode a big first inning to a 4-2 win at the Durham Athletic Park on Wednesday, April 27.
 
Duke (24-18) jumped ahead in the first frame after the Blue Devils put the first two on before Jack Labosky (Clovis, Calif.) promptly unloaded the bases with a three-run home run to left field.  Duke tacked on one more run on a sacrifice fly, and after scoring four runs on three hits in the first frame the Blue Devils would only get two more hits for the remainder of the contest.
 
NCCU (21-24) out-hit Duke for the second time this season by a tally of eight to five, and the Eagles got two back-to-back to lead off the third inning after Trevor Theissen (Franklin, Wisc.) drove in Ellington Hopkins (Lansing, N.Y.) on an RBI triple.  Carlos Ortiz (Cleveland, Ohio) lofted a sacrifice fly to cut the score to 4-2 and keep the Eagles in the contest.
 
Jonathan Figueroa (Chicago, Ill.) had a rocky start to the game, but he settled in after the first inning to allow just one more hit, and struck out six total batters over six complete innings.  While the NCCU bullpen didn't allow a single Blue Devil past first base, the Eagles were able to bring the tying run to the plate multiple times including the ninth inning, but they just couldn't find a gap.
 
NCCU returns to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division play as it goes to Savannah State University for a critical three-game series.  All games will be carried live on the NCCU Sports Network available at NCCUEaglePride.com, and live Twitter updates can also be found by following @NCCUAthletics.
 
For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.