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SALISBURY, Md. ÃÆ'Æ'Æ'ÃÆ'ââ'¬Â '¢ÃÆ'Æ'Æ'¢'¬" After a one-year hiatus away from postseason play, the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks returned to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament as its No. 3 seed out of the Northern Division where they challenged No. 2 North Carolina A&T State (NCAT) from the Southern Division.

In the tourney opener, NCAT blanked Eastern Shore, 8-0, at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in nearby Salisbury, Md.

Offensively, The Shore scattered five hits and stranded nine runners overall. Senior Jordan Wesley (Mitchville, Md.) recorded a multi-hit game, going 2-of-4 with a stolen base.

NCAT scored twice in the second to take an early 2-0 lead.

Next inning, the Aggies' Timothy Ravare delivered a RBI-single up-the-middle to extend the margin, 3-0.

Bottom four, NCAT capitalized on The Shore's miscues and ballooned their advantage to five, 5-0.

North Carolina A&T State's Milton Rivera drilled a shot down the leftfield line to score two more in the fifth, 7-0.

NCAT's Kyle Clary added an insurance run in the sixth, 8-0.

In the eighth, Maryland Eastern Shore had an opportunity to cut into the deficit with bases loaded, but the Aggies ended the rally with a 4-6-3 double play.

For NCAT (27-23), they registered eight runs on 11 hits. Rivera led the Aggies' attack with three RBIs in the win.

Maryland Eastern Shore (12-39) awaits the loser between No. 2 Delaware State (DSU) and No. 3 Florida A&M (FAMU). Eastern Shore squares off against DSU or FAMU tonight, approximately 7 p.m., in an elimination game.

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visitwww.easternshorehawks.com.