CARY, N.C. – Junior pitcher
Jaden Davis tossed a complete-game victory and senior catcher
Hailey Batista drove in three runs to spotlight play for the North Carolina Central University softball team in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home doubleheader against Howard University on Saturday afternoon at Thomas Brooks Park.
The Eagles secured the game one victory, 3-1, while the Bison salvaged the split by winning the nightcap, 8-3. NC Central (5-19 Overall, 1-1 MEAC) and Howard (17-7, 1-1) will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday at 3 p.m.
GAME ONE: NC Central 3, Howard 1
Davis, who earned all-conference honors last season for her pitching, had a strong performance in NCCU's league opener this season. Davis (2-9) only allowed one run over her seven innings of work to hurl the complete-game victory with five strikeouts against a Howard squad that entered the weekend leading the MEAC in batting average and runs scored per game.
NCCU scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to rally for the triumph. Senior
Ivory Jones was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to knot the score at 1-1 and then Batista picked up two RBI on a hard single off a lunging first baseman to give the Eagles the go ahead runs.
Davis was involved in a scoreless pitcher's duel with junior Mia Gonzales through the first four innings before Howard scored its only run with back-to-back doubles to begin the top half of the fifth inning. Davis settled down and struck out the next two batters and did not allow another extra base hit to give the maroon and gray the chance to rally. Gonzales (6-1) suffered her first loss of the season.
The Eagles finished with a 10-8 hit edge with Jones, Batista, freshman
Tyler Suttles and freshman
Kendall Smith all collecting two base hits.
GAME TWO: Howard 8, NC Central 3
The Bison scored in each of the first three innings to jump ahead 5-0 and Howard never looked back to level the series. Sophomore Maryn Jordan tallied three of the visitors 12 hits in the contest plus drawing one walk and scoring twice from the leadoff position. Junior Alyssa Vasquez added two hits and two RBI.
The Eagles scored an unearned run in the third before Batista pulled NCCU to within three runs, 5-2, with a solo home run to begin the fourth inning. Batista hit her third home run of the season to right-center as she doubled her run production on the season from three to six RBI in the twin bill.
A fielding error by the Howard left fielder on a single by freshman
Cameron Frye allowed Suttles to score NCCU's final run in the seventh, but a three-run fifth inning by the Bison had Howard comfortably ahead by the time that run scored just before the left fielder recovered and got Frye trying to advance to second on that initial error for the final out of the game.
A half dozen Eagles accounted for NCCU's six hits. Senior
Imara Harrell doubled right after Batista homered for the only other maroon and gray extra-base hit as Howard sophomore pitcher Julia Holt (3-0) entered the game after those consecutive big hits and she held the Eagles scoreless from that point to earn the win.
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