SALISBURY, Md. – North Carolina Central University was pushed to the brink by Florida A&M University after a 10-2 decision in the winners' bracket, and Coppin State University held off a late charge from the Eagles to end their season with a 7-5 loss on Friday, May 20 at Perdue Stadium.
 
NCCU finishes the year 25-30 with an 11-13 mark in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.  25 wins is the second most for the Eagles in the modern era, after a 27-win campaign in 2013.
 
GAME ONE: FAMU 10, NCCU 2
After NCCU rallied ahead to win on a seven-run inning in its first game, Florida A&M University flipped the script as it rode a six-run third inning to a 10-2 win.
 
FAMU (31-19) scored six runs on five hits in the third frame and sent nine men to the plate to take a commanding 6-0 lead, with one of the biggest hits being a three-RBI double from Ben Ellzey that actually could have been a triple if he hadn't tripped in between second and third and tagged out in a rundown.
 
The Eagles picked up their two runs on an RBI single from Zachary Marszal in the fourth frame, and a sacrifice fly from John Ortiz in the eighth.
 
The biggest hit of the game was a three-run blast deep to center field from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Dylan Dillard that put the Rattlers ahead 10-1 in the bottom of the sixth.
 
GAME TWO: CSU 7, NCCU 5
CSU took the lead on a three-run third inning and stayed in front from that point as NCCU was eliminated from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championship 7-5.
 
NCCU hit the board first as James Dey hit an RBI single to drive in Trevor Theissen in the first frame before CSU (14-37) leveled the score at 1-1 on an error in the second.
 
There were five total runs scored in the third inning, but CSU got the lion's share as it scored three runs on a passed ball and consecutive RBI at bats from George Dragon and Darrien Percell to go in front 4-1.
 
NCCU used two-out hitting to cut into the lead, with back-to-back doubles from Ellington Hopkins and Theissen who drove in a run, and Dey followed with his second RBI of the game on a single to make the score 4-3.
 
Dey finished the day with five total hits and two RBI, and Hopkins was right behind him with four.
 
Percell delivered a two-RBI double in the fifth to expand the lead to 6-3, his second hit of the game to finish 2-for-4.
 
NCCU made a charge to get back in the game as Ortiz hit his first career home run deep to left-center to cut the deficit to 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh.  Ortiz led the Eagles at the plate with three hits in the contest.
 
CSU reclaimed its three-run advantage in the top of the ninth, as Nazier McIlwain led off with a triple and was driven in on Dragon's second hit and second RBI of the game to push the score to 7-4.
 
NCCU stayed alive in the bottom of the ninth as Conrad Kovalcik drove a leadoff double and was brought in on a sacrifice fly from Sisqo Scott, but that was as close as the Eagles got.
 
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