NORFOLK, VA. – North Carolina Central University kept its MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Baseball Championship hopes alive by scoring at least one run in seven of the nine innings to eliminate the Spartans of Norfolk State University 12-6 on Friday afternoon at Marty Miller Field in Norfolk, Va.
 
The win for NCCU (27-28) pushes the Eagles into Friday night’s final game against the winner of the South’s No. 2 seed Bethune-Cookman and the South’s No. 4 seed North Carolina A&T at 6:00.
 
The trouble began for NSU in the top of the first with one out when Tyson Simpson drilled his seventh double of the year down the left field line, followed up by the first of four Luis Diaz hits on the day putting runners at second and third with one out.  After a Troy Marrow walk, Carter Williamson singled to left center to put the maroon and gray up 1-0.  Unfortunately for the Eagles the bases were left loaded in the frame.
 
After a scoreless first for Norfolk State, James Dey crushed his first career triple to left center field.  Spencer Franceschetti landed on bases on a Spartan error, later advancing to second base, when Diaz tripled to right center to put the Eagles up 3-0.
 
The host Spartans responded with a haymaker of their own to the tune of five runs on four hits that included back-to-back doubles by Ryan Montgomery and Justin Lee to snatch the lead away 5-3 chasing starter Jordan Quinn from the game.
 
Moving to the top of the fourth, Franceschetti led off with a double to left center later scoring on a Simpson sacrifice fly to right field cutting the margin to one at 5-4.
 
After Michael Romano worked a second scoreless inning, NCCU tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the fifth on Dey’s two-out RBI single that began as Marrow was plunked by a pitch for the 26th time on the year.
 
In the top of the sixth, the maroon and gray threw its best punch with two men on an one out after Norfolk State decided to intentionally walk Diaz to face Marrow and the third baseman made them pay with a near 360-foot three-run homer to left field, the first of his Eagle career, to put NCCU up 8-5.

With the score 8-6 in the top of the eight, the Eagles added two more runs on Cameron Day’s error to make it 10-6, and Diaz’s second double of the day drove in the final two runs of the afternoon to put the game at its final score at 12-6.
 
Romano (3-9) earned the win for the Eagles by putting on one of the best performances on the hill during the MEAC Championships by working 7.0 innings allowing only one unearned run on four hits with five strikeouts.
 
Diaz went 4-for-5 to lead the NCCU offensive attack with a triple, two doubles, four RBI and a run scored in the win. 
 
For NSU who ends the season 19-29, Day and Montgomery recorded two hits apiece in the loss.
 
For the complete story, visit www.NCCUEaglePride.com.