TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – North Carolina Central University junior Austin Vernon (Raleigh, N.C.) struck out 11 and threw a complete game shutout in the opening game of the doubleheader against Florida A&M to push the Eagles to a 3-0 win, however the Rattlers took the second game 8-3 to share the spoils on Friday, April 23 at Moore-Kittles Field.
 
Vernon's shutout marked the first time in program history that NCCU (15-14, 7-7 MEAC) has thrown consecutive shutouts in program history after Ryan Miller (Blandon, Pa.) and Caleb McRoy (Raleigh, N.C.) held Delaware State off the board on Sunday, April 18.  It was also the fourth shutout thrown by the Eagles this season to tie the program record for most in a season, after NCCU locked up four opponents in 2013.
 
GAME ONE: Strong pitching and defensive performances by NCCU and FAMU (14-24, 8-6 MEAC) kept both teams off the board until the sixth inning, where the Eagles were able to put together a decisive rally.
 
Chet Sikes (Trinity, N.C.) provided the spark with a leadoff single, and Tristan Shea (Charlotte, N.C.) followed suit to put the first two runners of the inning on.  Luis DeLeon (Providence, R.I.) advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt before Jacob Raby (Granite Falls, N.C.) broke the deadlock with a sacrifice fly.  Cort Maynard (Charlotte, N.C.) stepped up right after Raby and delivered an RBI single to send the Eagles ahead, 2-0.
 
Shea supplied an RBI single in the top of the seventh to give Vernon some insurance, and a 3-0 advantage, as Vernon polished off his complete game shutout with back-to-back strikeouts to finish the game.
 
Shea went 3-for-3 at the plate, and reached base in all four of his plate appearances for the Eagles.
 
GAME TWO: The Eagles looked poised to capitalize on the momentum from winning the first game of the afternoon, and struck for a pair in the top of the first on an RBI single from Cameron Norgren (Cary, N.C.) and a sacrifice fly by Raby to take a 2-0 lead.  However, FAMU had a quick response and put six runs on the board in the bottom of the frame to move ahead, 6-2.
 
NCCU took advantage of an error in the top of the fifth to score a run, and continued to build a push to bring itself level with FAMU.  The Eagles loaded the bases, but a hard-hit line drive went directly to the shortstop, and the inning ended with the hosts still leading, 6-3.
 
FAMU pulled that run back in the bottom of the fifth on a home run by Seyjuan Lawrence (Tampa, Fla.), and then scored one more on an RBI double by LJ Bryant (Leesburg, Ga.) in the bottom of the sixth to push the game to its final score of 8-3.
 
Both DeLeon and Maynard picked up two hits in the second game of the afternoon.
 
The series will conclude with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24, weather pending.