Game 1 Boxscore
Game 2 Boxscore
MURFREESBORO, N.C. - Saint Augustine's College scored five runs in the seventh inning to beat Chowan 7-1 Saturday in the first game of a key doubleheader between the top two CIAA teams at Hawkins Field.
The Hawks came back to win the second game 10-9 in eight innings. The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Falcons, who remain first in the league standings. The Falcons are 21-3 in the conference followed by the Hawks at 11-3. The Falcons have the edge in league victories but the Hawks own the tiebreaker. The Hawks swept the Falcons in Cary, N.C., earlier this season.
The doubleheader featured two teams ranked in the Black College Baseball poll. The Falcons (31-14 overall) are first in the rankings and the Hawks (15-14) are eighth. The Falcons are also 10th in the Atlantic Region.
In the first game, the Falcons scored five runs in the top of the seven inning to break open a tight 2-1 game. The quartet of Kevin White (Dunn, N.C.), Rashad Ingram (Savannah, Ga.) , Joe Pierce (Wetumpka, Ala.), and Wayne Lewis (Charlotte, N.C.) each collected an RBI, and Ingram scored on a throwing error.
White led the Falcons with two RBIs on 2-for-2 hitting. Mike Wallace (Powhatan, Va.) was 2-for-4 with one RBI, a triple and a double while Alex Howard (Wilson, N.C.) was 2-for-3 with one run scored. Alex Di Dio (Newport News, Va.) hurled a five-hitter in the victory. He struck out five batters for his eighth pitching victory this season.
In the second game, the Falcons erased an early 7-0 deficit to lead 9-7 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Two runs by the Hawks forced an extra inning, and they won when Colby Wiggins scored on an error in the eighth.
Ingram led the Falcons with two RBIs and two runs scored on 2-for-4 hitting including a two-run homer in the fifth inning. He also stole his 63rd base of the season. A talented shortstop, Ingram is the NCAA Division II leader in stolen bases and runs.
Chris Vette (Hampton, Va.) was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and Pierce was 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored. Both White and Jeremy Wilkins (Smithfield, N.C.) added an RBI. Di Dio took the loss after pitching the final one and one-third innings.
The Falcons return home Monday in a CIAA doubleheader against Elizabeth City State at USA Baseball Complex in Cary, N.C. The first game starts at 1 p.m.
