NORFOLK, Va. – No. 5 seed North Carolina Central rallied late but fell 4-3 to No. 4 seed Morgan State in the first round of the MEAC Softball Championship at NSU Softball Field on Wednesday.
The Eagles (13-32 overall) will play No. 2 seed Norfolk State in the elimination bracket on Thursday, May 8, at 2 p.m. Live stats will be on nccueaglepride.com.
Kendall Smith was perfect at the plate, batting 3 of 3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases for the Eagles, who registered nine hits but stranded seven runners on base. They put the potential game-tying run on third base with two outs in the top of the seventh inning but Morgan State (18-27) held on for the win.
Morgan State led 4-1 in the fifth inning but NCCU closed the gap to 4-3 in the sixth inning. The Eagles took advantage of an infield fielding error that allowed Smith and
Cameron Frye to score.
Jaden Davis put the Eagles on the scoreboard in the second inning after Morgan State grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning. She smacked a single to left field which scored Smith to tie the game 1-1. The Lady Bears scored two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth inning before the Eagles' late rally.
Davis, the MEAC Pitcher of the Year, padded her league-leading strikeout total to 124 in the loss. She scattered eight hits and struck out six while walking one in six innings.
