DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University's baseball game with North Carolina A&T finished just a shade over 18 hours after it began, but the Eagles came away with a 4-1 win in the series opener against the Aggies on Saturday, April 10 at the Durham Athletic Park.
 
The game was held in a rain delay for one hour and thirty-three minutes before being officially suspended at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 9.  The game resumed at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 10 with Chet Sikes (Trinity, N.C.) standing at the plate with an 0-1 count and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
 
NCAT (7-22, 2-7 MEAC) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after Justin Rodriguez (Farmingdale, N.Y.) hit an RBI single up the middle, but NCCU (11-9, 3-2 MEAC) quickly responded to level the game in the bottom of the third on an RBI single through the center of the diamond by Cort Maynard (Charlotte, N.C.).
 
That RBI knock started a streak of four unanswered runs by the Eagles from the third to the fifth frame, that was helped by a pair of home runs.  Jacob Raby (Granite Falls, N.C.) mashed a two-run blast in the bottom of the fourth, and then Kokko Figueiredo (Fortuna, Calif.) crushed a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth to put the hosts ahead, 4-1.
 
Austin Vernon (Raleigh, N.C.) turned in a strong start on the mound as he allowed just one run in six innings, and struck out seven with just one walk.  Scott Meylan (Pittsburg, Calif.) finished the job in the ninth with help from the infield, as a double play wiped out a leadoff single for the Aggies before Meylan struck out the final batter for his sixth save of the year.
 
The Eagles banged out 11 hits, led by Figueiredo with three from the leadoff spot.  Both Raby and Cameron Norgren (Cary, N.C.) had two hits apiece as well for NCCU.
 
The second game of the series will be played directly following the end of this contest, on Saturday, April 10.