CARY, N.C. — Freshman
Aiyana Campbell hit her first collegiate home run in the opener and junior
Aleyah Evans nailed a three-run homer in the finale to highlight play for the North Carolina Central University softball team in a 5-3 and 10-6 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Southern Division doubleheader loss to visiting Florida A&M University on Saturday at Thomas Brooks Park.
The Rattlers rattled off 23 hits in the twin bill to complete the series sweep. FAMU, the defending MEAC champions and preseason favorites, improved to 10-20 overall and start league play at 3-0.
NCCU (6-15, 0-3) will next host MEAC Southern Division foe Savannah State University on Friday-Saturday, March 30-31.
GAME ONE: Florida A&M 5, N.C. Central 3
A three-run home run by senior first baseman Toni Anderson provided the big blow in leading the Rattlers to the two-run victory. Anderson's second homer of the series just stayed fair of the left field foul pole in the fifth inning to propel FAMU ahead for good at 4-2.
Sophomore
Ava Dolan drove in a pair of runs to give NCCU an early 2-1 edge. Dolan tied the score with a sac fly in the first and then knocked in the go-ahead run with a single in the third. The Las Vegas, Nevada, product leads NCCU with 23 RBI in 20 games.
After Anderson's three-run shot, the Rattlers added an unearned run in the top of the sixth to go up by three runs.
NCCU's comeback bid began with Campbell's solo home run to lead-off the seventh. Her first collegiate long ball cleared the fence in right-center field.
However, sophomore Kyaira Brown was able to retire the next three Lady Eagles to finish off a complete-game victory. Brown (5-9) limited NCCU to four hits while striking out three.
Junior Taylor Rosier collected three of the Rattlers eight hits while sophomore Shayla Boyd added two hits and two runs.
Mirabella (5-9) went the distance in the pitcher's circle for the Lady Eagles and she posted nine strikeouts.
GAME TWO: Florida A&M 10, N.C. Central 6
The Rattlers used a five-run second inning to jump ahead early and complete the series sweep. FAMU sent 10 batters to the plate in the decisive frame that featured four singles and three walks. The Rattlers then scored five more runs over the course of the final three innings to thwart NCCU's attempt at a rally.
Rosier added three more singles for six on the day as FAMU outhit the hosts in the slugfest, 15-10. Eight different Rattlers drove in runs. Junior catcher/designated player Mackenzie Woodard had the hottest bat for the visitors, driving in two runs on a homer in the fifth and a double in the sixth.
Six of NCCU's 10 hits came from the 2-3-4 slots in the lineup as freshman
Jacobia Johnson joined Dolan and Evans for two hits apiece. Dolan increased her team-best batting average to .436 five hits in the series.
An RBI-single by Mirabella highlighted a two-run second for the Lady Eagles to cut the early deficit to 5-2. NCCU tacked on four more runs in the fifth to inch within two at 8-6. The rally featured a three-run blast by Evans to straightaway center.
Brown hurled the final 2 2/3 innings after the homer to collect her first save of the season. Senior Veronica Burse (5-11), who was the winning pitcher on Friday, collected her second win of the series by going 4 1/3 innings.
