CLEARWATER, Fla. – The North Carolina Central University softball team outlasted University of Central Arkansas, 5-4, in eight innings to cap day one of the 2024 season and bounce back from an 8-0 season-opening loss to University of South Alabama on Friday morning at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.
 
Freshman left fielder Kendall Smith led NCCU's offense with three hits on the day and was the only Eagle with both an RBI and run scored. Sophomore Makiya Graves also had a hit in each contest.
 
NC Central (1-1) will continue action in the NCFA Leadoff Classic with two more games on Saturday. The Eagles will play University of Iowa at 4 p.m., before taking the diamond against No. 13 University of Utah at 7 p.m.
 
GAME ONE: South Alabama 8, NC Central 0 (6 Inn.)
 
In her collegiate debut, freshman pitcher Ryley Harrison tossed a three-hit shutout to lead the Jaguars to an eight-run triumph. Riley had three strikeouts, did not issue a walk, and limited the Eagles to just three singles.  
 
Smith tallied her first collegiate hit, a single to left field, with two outs in the bottom of the third inning to become NCCU's first baserunner after Harrison retired the first eight batters she faced in the morning.
 
Graves and senior catcher Hailey Batista accounted for NCCU's other two hits.
 
South Alabama (1-0) had six different players drive in a run with leadoff hitter Mackenzie Brasher being the table setter for the Jaguars with two hits, four stolen bases, two runs scored and one RBI.
 
GAME TWO: NC Central 5, Central Arkansas 4
 
Junior pitcher Ashanti Eubanks (1-0) scattered eight hits over eight innings of work in her season debut to pick put the complete-game victory for the Eagles. Eubanks had two strikeouts and did not allow an earned run in the first extra inning to seal the triumph.
 
Smith moved up to the leadoff position for the maroon and gray and filled up the box score with two singles, one RBI, one run and one stolen base.
 
Central Arkansas (0-2) jumped out to a 2-nil advantage in the first inning before the Eagles leveled the score in the third inning with an RBI-single by Graves and a sacrifice fly by senior second baseman Jaylah Barr. Smith then knocked in a go-ahead run for NCCU with her second single of the game in the fourth inning.
 
The Bears forced extra innings with a game-tying sac fly in the bottom of the seventh, but NCCU plated two runs in the top of the eighth to regain the lead for good. Junior right fielder Jai'lyn Edwards supplied a run-producing single for NCCU's second run of the frame, which proved to be an important insurance tally as UCA was able to score its international tiebreaker runner in the home half of the eighth before Eubanks got the last out.
 
Freshman first baseman Cameron Frye reached base in all four of her plate appearances in her first collegiate start, finishing with two singles, a walk, and a hit by pitch. Classmate third baseman Samaria Jackson also drew a pair of base on balls that both eventually led to NCCU runs.
 
NCCU finished with nine hits.
 
A trio of Bears had two hits apiece as that trio accounted for six of Central Arkansas' eight base knocks.
 
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