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DURHAM, N.C. -- Playing in historic Durham Athletic Park, the Hawks finished off their spring break road trip with a twin billing against North Carolina Central, challengers in the MEAC's Southern Division. Unfortunately, both games went the Eagles' way--the first game a tight 4-3 squeaker and the second game a decisive 7-1 victory.

The Hawks' record falls to 5-13 this season but their conference record remains unblemished at 3-0, since games against the MEAC Southern Division do not count towards that mark.

Senior Chipper Smith (Florence, S.C.) was able to hold the Eagles in check during game one. He would go six innings; give up four hits, two earned runs, and three walks, all while striking out four. In the process, Smith's ERA lowered nearly a point, from 5.73 to 4.76.

An airtight pitchers' duel was broken by UMES in the fifth inning. After junior Mike Escanilla (Waldorf, Md.) drew a walk and stole second, he was driven home by senior Joshua James (Milford, Del.) to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. However, the Eagles would respond in the next frame. A sacrifice fly from Carlos Ortiz drove home Christian Triplett to tie the score, and Eric Kimber singled home a run to give the Eagles the lead.

Central would add another run in the sixth but the Hawks would strike back to tie the score in the seventh. James doubled home another run and Escanilla would score on a wild pitch. After a walk by senior Greg Turlik (Gaithersburg, Md.) which loaded the bases in a fantastic opportunity to take the lead. However, a wise pitching decision by the Eagles subbed in Kyle Shields who snuffed the rally by inducing a flyout from freshman Quenton Hamrick (New Castle, Del.) to end the inning.

The Eagles would retake the lead for good in a seventh on a suicide squeeze by Trevor Theissen and although the Hawks would get in scoring position in the eighth, they were unable to push across another run and N.C. Central took the first game, 4-3.

Bolstered by the close win, N.C. Central seized control of game two in the first inning. Two runs would come in by a Ron Thompson double, and an RBI single and RBI double would follow. A couple of errors aided the Eagles, and before the inning was over the home team gained a 4-0 edge.

Turlik would respond for UMES with a towering blast that landed beyond the right-center field fence to cut into the deficit, 4-1. The Hawks would get rally into scoring position in the third, but James was not able to repeat his clutch performance as he grounded into a double play to end the threat.

The next half inning, a Christian Triplett home run that made contact with a building just beyond the right field fence extended the Eagles' lead to 6-1. A sacrifice fly in the fourth added one more to N.C. Central's total.

The remainder of the game passed rather quietly from both sides of the plate, as sophomore pitcher Kameron Raison (Newark, Del.) tossed an easy sixth inning and freshman Chris Melrath (Rising Sun, Md.) froze two Eagles with deceptive breaking pitches to hold the home team in check.

Freshman Scott Bean (Harvey's Lake, Pa.) was handed the loss in his first collegiate start while N.C. Central freshman Cameron Scalzo got his first collegiate win. For the Hawks, Escanilla was on point today, going 3-for-6 with two runs scored in the game. James enjoyed a 3-hit game in the first contest to end the twin billing at 3-for-7, while junior Will Turley (Greensboro, Md.) joined Raison and Melrath in effective relief, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

UMES will look to bounce back against MEAC Northern Division foe Norfolk State at home in Princess Anne this weekend. Saturday's doubleheader will begin at 1:00p.m., followed by a Sunday single game at noon.