The Lincoln University baseball program won its Central Intercollegiate Athletic association (CIAA) opener for the first time since becoming an NCAA division II institution, defeating St. Augustine's University 2-0 on the strength of Terence Berry (Dover, N.J./Dover HS)'s four hit complete game shutout Sunday afternoon in Stem, North Carolina.

The Lions had dropped their CIAA opener in every season since joining the CIAA in 2008.  Lincoln went on to lose the second game of Sunday's doubleheader, 4-1 earning a split on the day's action.  The Lions are now 5-10 overall and 1-1 in CIAA gamers after the two game split while St. Augustine's in 10-17 overall and 1-1 in league play.

Berry needed just 86 pitches to notch his second win and second complete game of the season in five starts for the Lions.  He struck out six batters while walking five and allowing just four singles on the afternoon.  Berry, who missed nearly all of last season following Tommy John surgery, is holding hitters to a .190 batting average this season.   
Rickey Rice, Berry's opponent on the mound, also pitched a complete game, striking out ten Lincoln batters and allowing two runs on seven hits in a losing effort.

The two aces dueled through the first four innings as neither team cut put a run on the scoreboard.  The Falcons threatened in the top half of the fifth inning but ran themselves out of the inning with two runners thrown out by LU catcher Gabriel Santiago (Bronx, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy), trying to steal a base.

The Lions got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning, providing Berry with all the runs he would need. Ronald Lashley (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on DeVanté Parker's one-out single to center field.  Joshua Roberson (Germantown, Md./Seneca Valley HS) followed with a single to left center field, scoring Lashley and moving Parker to third. LU's next batter, Santiago, lifted a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing Parker in to score the Lions second run. 

Berry retired the Falcons in order in the sixth inning and ran into a little trouble in the seventh, walking two batters and hitting another to load the bases with one out. He then proceeded to strike out Carson Davis for the second out.  The next batter, Tyquan Bryant hit a ground ball to the right of first baseman Roberson, who made a great diving stop and was able to connect on a throw to Berry who alertly ran to cover first base to get the final out of the game.

In the second game, the falcons connected for seven hits off LU starter Rolando Alvarez (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional HS) as they salvaged a split of the doubleheader with a 4-1 win.  Alvarez took the loss, tossing five innings while striking out two and walking three batters.  He falls to 2-2 on the season.

Marquis Johnson tossed a complete game for the Falcons, allowing just four Lion hits all singles.  Johnson (3-3) struck out four and walked one.

Two walks and two hits by the Falcons in the top half of the second inning led to the first two runs of the game.  Davis and Kilvio Garcia had back to back RBI singles to give SAU a 2-0 lead.

The Lions scored their lone run in the second as Santiago walked to lead off the inning and moved to second and eventually scored on a fielder's choice and a Falcon infield error.

Three singles in the third inning by the falcons produced their third run and a sacrifice fly by Michael Keels brought home the fourth Falcon run in the top half of the fourth inning.

Alvarez held the Falcons scoreless in the fifth inning and Marco Castillo, who relieved Alvarez at the start of the sixth inning allowing just two hits and no runs.

Johnson meanwhile retired ten Lions in a row from the fourth inning on until Santiago singled with one out in the seventh.  Brendan Sherman-Johnson (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytech HS) replaced Santiago on the base path via a fielder's choice and Howard delivered a two-out single to move Sherman-Johnson to third before Marquis Coleman (Middle River , Md./Baltimore Polytech HS) grounded into a game-ending fielder's choice.  

Lincoln returns to action on Monday when they close out their series with St. Augustine's.  First pitch of the doubleheader is at 1:00 p.m. at Lions Field in Raleigh, North Carolina.