North Carolina Central University

BASEBALL

     DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to claim a 7-4 come-from-behind victory over Benedict College in game one of a Saturday (Feb. 10) doubleheader at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.
     After surrendering three runs in the top of the sixth inning to fall behind 4-2, the host Eagles plated five unearned runs with two outs to go back on top with one inning left to play.
 NCCU pitcher Gene Suarez (Fayetteville, N.C.) struck out the first two Benedict batters in the top of the seventh. Two batters later, Eagles right fielder Marcus Mack (Fayetteville, N.C.) caught the final out of NCCU's first victory in the school's inaugural season since it last fielded a baseball team in 1975.
     Leadoff hitter Oliver Jenkins (Rocky Mount, N.C.) topped the Eagles offense with a double, triple and two runs scored. Keith Butcher (Wilmington, Delaware) added a single with two runs batted in and a run scored for NCCU.
     For Benedict, senior Deshaun Brooks belted a pair of home runs for three RBI, while sophomore Nathan Caldwell drove in the other Tigers run and had two hits.
     In the second game of the doubleheader, Benedict blew open a 4-0 game by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning en route to an 11-0 victory.
     Caldwell recorded three of the Tigers 11 hits, while juniors Dawan Browning and Clifford Brevard tallied two hits apiece.
     Browning earned the victory by tossing a complete-game, three-hit shutout, as Benedict improved its record to 3-4.
     NCCU received hits from Jenkins, Seth O'Brien (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and Kurt Wilson (Atlanta, Ga.) in the loss, as the Eagles fall to 1-3 on the season.
     The two teams complete the weekend series with one game on Sunday starting at 12 noon at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.