LADY EAGLE SOFTBALL TO HOST FURMAN IN RALEIGH

LADY EAGLE SOFTBALL TO HOST FURMAN IN RALEIGH
Reah P. Nicholson 04/12/10

NCCU to host Furman on Tuesday at North Carolina State

DURHAM, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University softball team will host Southern Conference-member Furman University in doubleheader action on Tuesday, April 13 at the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium on the campus of North Carolina State University. First pitches are slated for 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Due to a scheduling conflict at Thomas Brooks Park, the Lady Eagles will host the Paladins in Raleigh, N.C. The games were originally scheduled for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., but had to be changed due to field availability at NC State.

Tuesday will mark NCCU’s second meeting with a Southern Conference opponent this season. They faced Western Carolina earlier this season in the 2010 Lady Eagle Classic. The Lady Eagles were defeated, 11-4, by the Catamounts in their second game of the tournament.

NCCU enters Tuesday’s matchup with a 7-29 record following a doubleheader split against Savannah State on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Eagles clinched a 6-3 win over the Lady Tigers before falling, 5-4, in the finale.

As a team, NCCU is hitting .246 with 217 hits off of 883 at-bats. The Lady Eagles have totaled 122 runs, 28 doubles, nine triples, 11 home runs and 94 RBIs, while going 42-for-44 in stolen bases. They are led by the dynamic duo of Desanbra Franklin and Andrea Searls, who are each hitting above .300 on the season.

Franklin, one of three seniors on this year’s squad, anchors the Lady Eagle offense, leading the team in eight categories. She is hitting .358 on the year with 38 hits on 106 at-bats. The Piqua, Ohio, native has notched 21 runs, 12 doubles, five home runs and 20 RBIs, while standing with a perfect fielding percentage. She has also gone a flawless 4-for-4 in stolen bases, while being tied for second in triples with one.

Searls, the Lady Eagles’ ace behind the plate, has earned a .333 batting average with 28 hits on 84 at-bats. She has totaled 12 runs, five doubles, two triples, one home run and seven RBIs. She also stands a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases, while sitting with a .949 fielding percentage. She is one of three Lady Eagles with two triples this season.

On the bases, the Lady Eagles are led by the speed of Nadia Jefferies, who has gone 10-for-11 in stolen bases this season. As a team, NCCU is 42-for-44 with 10 student-athletes having never been caught stealing. The Lady Eagles have been caught stealing just twice this season with each time coming from a different student-athlete.

In the bullpen, the Lady Eagles have two student-athletes with an ERA below seven. Sophomore transfer Aurora Baker leads the team in the circle with a 5.78 ERA. She has given up 33 earned runs and 69 hits in 40 innings of work. Baker leads the team in strikeouts with 18 and has made 11 appearances. The Wake Forest, N.C., native has pitched three complete games and stands with a 1-6 mark this season.

Her partner in crime is freshman Kayla McPeek, who stands with a 6.09 ERA. She has allowed 56 earned runs and 111 hits in 64.1 innings pitched. She is third in strikeouts with 15 and has made 16 appearances on the mound. The Westerville, Ohio, native has pitched seven complete games and is 3-7 on the year.

Furman stands at 13-17 on the season and 8-6 in conference play. They come into the matchup after dropping a series with conference foe Elon University. Furman shut-out Elon in the first game of the series, 4-0, but the Phoenix fought back to take the series with a 3-2 win in the second game and a 1-0 win in the finale.

The Paladins are hitting .251 with 201 hits off of 802 at-bats. The Paladins have tallied 101 runs, 26 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 88 RBIs, while grabbing 17 stolen bases. They are led by the bats of Stephanie Field and Hannah Bradley, who are both hitting above .300 this season.

Field is Furman’s power hitter, hitting .463 on the season with 44 hits on 95 at-bats. She has 20 runs, four doubles, one triple, two home runs and eight RBIs on the year. Field is tied for the lead in stolen bases with seven and has notched an on-base percentage of .553. She has played in all 30 Paladin games.

In the circle, the Paladins are led by the pitching duo of Lana Mackey and Kayla Suskauer, who have both totaled ERAs less than three. Mackey is Furman’s ace with a 2.33 ERA. She has made 23 appearances this season, including 13 starts, where she has given up 37 earned runs and 82 hits in 111.1 innings of work. Mackey has struck out 145 batters and has a 10-7 mark on the season.

Suskauer has an ERA of 2.55and has made 12 appearances this season, including nine starts. She has allowed just 16 earned runs and 41 hits in 44 innings pitched. Suskauer has struck out 22 and has a 2-4 record on the mound.

Lady Eagle fans can follow the action online as live statistics will be available through the NCCU website at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.

Following Tuesday’s game, the Lady Eagles will host rival Winston-Salem State University on Thursday, April 15 in a doubleheader at the Curtis and Jacqueline Dail Softball Stadium on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh. Game times are set for 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.