Aggies take series with 2-1 win over Marshall
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Junior college transfer Mitchell McQueen threw a complete-game four-hitter and senior Cameron Jergens hit what turned out to be the game-winning home run in the fourth to lead North Carolina A&T to a 2-1 win over Marshall Sunday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium.
Jergens drove in both Aggie runs and Brandon Wilkerson went 2-for-3 with a double. McQueen (1-1) threw 101 pitches with 70 of them going for strikes. He recorded five strikeouts and did surrender an extra base hit. Marshall right-hander Michael Taylor (1-1) did not have a bad start either. He threw just 82 pitches over seven innings even though the first three Aggies he faced reached. With the bases loaded, Lester Salcedo popped out. Cameron Jergens then hit a laser off the foot of Taylor that rolled to shortstop Sergio Leon who threw out Jergens going to first.
Leadoff hitter Ryan Hill scored to give A&T a 1-0 lead. The Herd (3-3) tied the game in the third as McQueen surrendered a one-out walk to Spencer Iacovone. It was the only walk McQueen surrendered and Iacovone would eventually score the only run McQueen allowed. Corey Bird reached on an infield single and Chase Vogelbach scored Iacovone with a single to left. McQueen gave up just two more hits the rest of the way.
Jergens led off the fourth with his first home run of the season. The Aggies improved to 3-3. They will host Elon at War Memorial, Wednesday afternoon at 3.
For complete story, visit www.ncataggies.com
NCCU surrenders 18 hits, commits seven errors in loss to Niagara
DURHAM, N.C. – Niagara University pounded out 18 hits, including three home runs, while North Carolina Central University committed seven errors, resulting in a convincing 22-2 win for Niagara on Sunday (Feb. 23) afternoon at the Durham Athletic Park.
Of Niagara’s 22 runs, half of them were unearned.
The visiting Purple Eagles blew open a 4-0 game by scoring nine runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding 13-0 lead. NCCU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Niagara plated nine more runs in the next three innings.
Offensively, NCCU was topped by senior third baseman Tyson Simpson and sophomore first baseman Christian Triplett, who each hit 3-for-4 with a double. For Simpson, it was his third double of the weekend and he now has a team-high four on the season.
Niagara (3-4) had three batters drive in four runs. Sophomore first baseman Greg Rodgers went 3-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and four runs scored. Sophomore catcher Pavel Chavez-Rusova hit 3-for-6 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. Sophomore outfielder Hayden Coll came off the bench in the eighth inning and belted a grand slam in the ninth. Junior outfielder Anthony Firenzi caps Niagara’s top offensive performers with three hits, including a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
Niagara’s starting pitcher Drew Fittry scattered seven hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk in seven innings on the mound to earn the victory. NCCU sophomore hurler Alex Dandridge allowed six earned runs in five innings of action in the loss.
NCCU (1-4-1) returns to the diamond on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at High Point University with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com
Hornets win on three-run 8th-inning blast
DOVER, Del. --- Pinch hitter Eddie Sorondo hit a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Delaware State to an 8-7 win over Iona at the Wesley College Field this afternoon.
The Hornets trailed 7-5 entering the bottom of the eighth. Mitchell Moore singled with one out and Ron Farley had a two-out single to put DSU runners on second and first. Sorondo, pinch hitting for Chris Gonzalez, was up next. He blasted the first pitch he saw from Iona reliever Andrew Pucillo over the left field fence to give the Hornets the lead for the first time in the game. Sorondo, a senior, was mobbed by his teammates after crossing the plate.
Ron Farley (2-for-4; 1 RBI) and Charles Dailey (2-for-4) also had two hits for the Hornets.
Eric Sharff (2-0), the fifth DSU pitcher of the game, retired the last four Iona batters to earn the win. Sharff struck out the first two batters he faced in the top of the ninth, and recorded the final out on a grounder to short.
Bobby Brown pitched three innings of shutout relief for the Hornets, striking out four of the 13 batters he faced.
Delaware State pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts in the game.
Christian Choman was 2-for-4 with two RBI for Iona, which fell to 1-2 this season. Pucillo (0-1) was tagged with the loss for the Gaels.
The Hornets are scheduled to return to action on Wednesday (Feb. 26) at George Washington University. Game time is 2:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C.
Delaware State returns home this Friday to begin a three-game series against Akron. Friday’s game begins at 2:00 p.m. at Soldier Field. The teams are also scheduled to play single games on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m.).
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com
Bethune-Cookman Falls to Florida Gulf Coast in Big-Hitting Series Finale
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - It was a big-hitting day for the series payoff game between Bethune-Cookman (2-4) and Florida Gulf Coast (5-3), Sunday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. After a huge rally in the fourth inning to take control in Sunday’s barnburner, the Wildcats fell on the wrong side of the Eagles’ comeback, surrendering the lead in the final frame, 13-10.
Facing FGCU closer Brady Anderson, the Wildcats couldn’t generate any offense in the final frame, dropping the series finale and falling to 1-2 in the series. Anderson earned his first save.
The win went to Mario Leon (1-1), who closed out the sixth inning for Florida Gulf Coast. Reliever (0-1) Michael Austin takes the loss.
The Wildcats and Eagles combined for 23 hits on the scoreboard Sunday. Jordan Thomas paced Bethune-Cookman at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with three RBI and one run scored. Matt Noble also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Clay Middleton (two RBI) and Jake Welch (one RBI) each batted 1-for-4 on the day, drawing praise from the staff.
The Wildcats return to action at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, as the Stetson Hatters make the cross-county trip for the first of two games in the annual Volusia County showdown. The Hatters (2-5) earned the win in the series with Boston College on Sunday, topping the Eagles 3-1 at Melching Field.
For complete story, visit www.bcuathletics.com
Coppin State drops pair at Coca-Cola Classic
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Coppin State baseball team concluded the Coca-Cola Classic with losses to Kent State, 11-1, and Winthrop, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Winthrop Ballpark.
The Eagles got solid pitching performances from Shane Davies and Darryl Martinez in the setback against Winthrop. They combined for eight strong innings, four strikeouts and two earned runs. They gave the Eagles an opportunity to end the trip on a winning note. The quickly-played contest was completed in 2 hours, 6 minutes.
John Walls, Chris Godfrey, Jack Kraft, Randal Mendez, David Hamlett and Dalton Cozart all had hits for the Eagles (0-4 overall). Hamlett had the Eagles only extra base hit of the game, a two-out double in the top of fourth inning that ignited a rally. Kraft followed with a RBI single that gave Coppin State a 1-0 lead.
During the four game tournament, the Eagles got solid efforts from Kraft and Walls, who led the team with four hits each. Kraft batted .308 with three runs batted in. He had hits in three of Coppin State’s first four games this season. Both of Hamlett’s this season have been doubles and he has scored twice.
In the opening game, Mike Wright had the Eagles’ lone hit against Kent State in the eighth inning. Rafael Eigenmann scored Coppin State’s lone run of the contest.
Coppin State returns to action Wednesday afternoon when it visits the Naval Academy in a game scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. The Eagles home opener is on Saturday, March 1 against New Jersey Institute of Technology in a doubleheader beginning at noon.
For complete story, visit www.coppinstatesports.com
Norfolk State drops extra-inning game to Villanova
NORFOLK, Va. – Villanova scored three times in the top of the 10th inning to earn a 13-10 win over a game Norfolk State squad in the final contest of the Spartan Classic on Sunday afternoon at Marty L. Miller Field.
Villanova (2-4) never trailed, yet had to survive a pair of four-inning outbursts from a Spartan (1-5) team that had a flair for the dramatic all weekend.
The Wildcats led 5-0 early, capitalizing on some control issues from NSU’s pitching staff. The Spartan offense, meanwhile, didn’t get its first hit off hard-throwing VU starter J.B. Kole until Ross Cardwell’s one-out single in the fourth.
Trailing 6-1 entering the bottom of the fifth, NSU scored four times to chase Kole from the game. Denathan Dukes and Andre’ Moore walked, then Justin Lee reached on an infield single to load the bases. Robert Barefoot knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice, then Moore scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.
Cameron Day then hit a long RBI double to right, and Cardwell’s RBI groundout brought NSU to within 6-5.
The Wildcats scored three more times in their next four frames, though, and led 10-6 entering the bottom of the ninth. As they did in Saturday’s win over Quinnipiac, NSU had a ninth-inning rally up its sleeve. Zach Markel walked to start the frame and Day singled. Markel eventually scored on Justin Burrell’s RBI groundout, making it 10-7.
Strenn coaxed a walk from Wildcats’ reliever John Courter, and Dukes followed with a run-scoring single to make it 10-8. Pinch hitter Tyon Ore then singled on the first pitch he saw from Courter to load the bases. Lee followed with the biggest hit of the game, lining an 0-1 pitch from Courter through the middle to score Strenn and Dukes with the tying runs.
NSU had a chance to finish off the Wildcats in the ninth, but VU reliever Matt Lengel struck out Markel with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Villanova then pieced together a rally of its own in the 10th by scoring three runs.
Matt Lengel then retired NSU in order in the 10th to finish it.
Todd Czinege was 2-for-4 with four RBI, and both Kevin Jewitt and Max Beerman had three hits each for Villanova. Matt Lengel earned the win with 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.
Day was 3-for-5 and Lee was 2-for-5 for NSU. Both drove in a pair of runs. Markel and Barefoot scored two runs each. Butt (0-1) took the loss, allowing three hits and three runs, two earned, in one inning of work.
NSU returns to action at Duke on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in Durham, N.C.
For complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com