DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University's baseball program pushed all the way to the end against Duke, but the Blue Devils were able to stop the Eagles' rally short, and come away with a 7-4 win on Tuesday, March 16 at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.
 
NCCU (8-6) scored first in the contest as it posted two runs in the top of the second by way of a bases-loaded walk from Nick Fajardo (Durham, N.C.), and a run-scoring fielder's choice by Kokko Figueiredo to send the Eagles ahead, 2-0.
 
Duke (7-6) leveled the game in the bottom of the inning at 2-2 on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, and then pulled ahead with five runs in the bottom of the third to go ahead, 7-2.  The big hit in the bottom of the third was an RBI triple by Michael Rothenberg (Boca Raton, Fla.) to put the Blue Devils ahead, and the rest of the order followed his lead.
 
Both bullpens kept the hitters quiet at the plate from that point on, but NCCU finally got itself back into the run column after a bases-loaded double play in the top of the seventh to move the score to 7-3.  The Eagles were able to put the tying run on deck in the top of the ninth, and pushed a run in on a sacrifice fly from Figueiredo to change the score to 7-4, however the rally would end there.
 
Caleb McRoy (Raleigh, N.C.) was efficient in relief for the Eagles as he struck out all three batters that he faced on only 12 pitches, and Parker Kanupp (Asheville, N.C.) made a career-long outing of 2.0 innings with a strikeout as he finished the game.
 
Fajardo led the Eagles at the plate as he reached base four times, and recorded two walks and a single along with an RBI.  Figueiredo drove in a joint game-high two RBI in the contest from the leadoff spot.
 
Erikson Nichols (Oradell, N.J.) was the only batter in the contest to have multiple hits as he drove in two RBI on a pair of singles for the Blue Devils.
 
NCCU will begin MEAC Southern Division play with a four-game series at North Carolina A&T on Friday, March 19 in Greensboro, North Carolina.