WASHINGTON, D.C. – North Carolina Central dropped both games of a doubleheader against Howard, including a first-game heartbreaker, in the MEAC softball opener at Nationals Youth Park on Saturday.
The scores were 6-5 in the first game and 6-1 in the second game. Both teams return to the diamond for a single game Sunday at 11 a.m. The starting time was moved up one hour due to predicted inclement weather.
The Eagles lost game one despite back-to-back home runs from
Takia Nichols and
Samaria Jackson and a five-hit pitching outing from
Jaden Davis, who took the loss after two consecutive wins this week.
Nichols and Jackson keyed a 5-0 lead with homers in the third inning. Nichols hit a two-run homer over the left field wall and Jackson followed with a solo shot in the same vicinity to put NCCU up 3-0.
Makiya Graves hit an RBI single in the fourth inning and
Cameron Frye had an RBI groundout in the fifth inning for a five-run lead. The Eagles appeared to be cruising until the bottom of the fifth inning. Howard scored five runs to tie the game.
Howard won in the bottom of the seventh. A wild pitch scored a runner on third base. The loss snapped the Eagles' two-game win streak.
Jackson batted 3 of 4 with a home run, double, one RBI and two runs scored for the Eagles, who had 10 hits. Nichols had a home run, two RBIs and one run scored. Graves was 2 of 4 with one RBI and one run scored and
Kia Borum scored one run.
Davis gave up one earned run in 6.1 innings. She also recorded a double.
The Eagles committed two of their three errors in the crucial fifth inning. They also left eight runners on base compared to three for the Bison.
The Eagles fell behind early in the second game. They were down 5-0 heading into the fifth inning.
Daiyah Bailey scored on a throwing error in the fifth for NCCU's only run.
NCCU, led by Jackson's double, finished with four hits while Howard totaled six. Both teams committed two errors each and left six runners on base.
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