DURHAM, N.C. — Senior outfielder Tamiera Sanchez scored a pair of runs for the North Carolina University softball team in a 10-2 road loss at Duke University on Tuesday.
 
The Blue Devils scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a close game and complete the run-rule victory.
 
Duke (13-2) has won four straight games and is receiving votes in both current major top-25 polls.
 
Sanchez led off the "Bull City" battle with a solo home run to give NCCU the initial 1-nil advantage. Her second home run of the season cleared the fence in left field.
 
The Blue Devils answered with three runs in the home half of the first. A two-run homer by sophomore Caroline Jacobsen that just cleared the wall in center put Duke ahead for good.
 
Sanchez also accounted for NCCU's second run. She drew a one-out walk in the third and later scored from first on a double by junior first baseman Joirea Dumas to pull the Eagles within one run at 3-2.
 
Dumas leads the maroon and gray with seven RBI in nine games while Sanchez paces the Eagles with a .333 batting average, including hits in six of nine contests.
 
An unearned run doubled-up the Duke lead to 4-2 in the fourth before the Blue Devils were able to pull away with their six-run sixth.
 
Jacobsen ended the game with her second two-run blast of the day to finish with four RBI. She leads the Blue Devils with six home runs and 21 RBI in 15 games.
 
The late rush was aided by two more NCCU errors as the Eagles committed four in the contest. Junior starter Kiara Hurley gave the local visitors chance through the first five innings. Hurley (0-6) only allowed six hits over 5 1/3 innings of work.
 
Junior Brianna Butler improved to 4-1 with the complete-game victory. She limited the Eagles to three hits and she registered eight strikeouts.
 
NC Central (0-9) will next play five games in the Red and Black Softball Tournament hosted by Gardner-Webb University from Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 1.