Christian Triplett celebrates one of his two home runs for North Carolina Central at Fenway Park. (Photo/Twitter/@NCCUAthletics)
BOSTON — North Carolina Central didn’t like the result but Christian Triplett will remember Saturday for the rest of his life.
The junior first baseman hit two home runs over the Green Monster and finished 3-for-4 despite his Eagles falling 9-4 to Florida A&M in the first HBCU Legacy Weekend showcase game at Fenway Park.
“It’s amazing,” Triplett said. “When you’re little you dream about stuff like this. To actually step out on the field just blows your mind. You really can’t prepare yourself for it.”
Triplett gave NCCU a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning as his fourth home run of the season just stayed inside the foul line atop the left field wall while shooting one deeper towards center field to lead off the sixth.
His five homers rank third on a team which ranks atop the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 26 longballs, despite owning the fourth-worst offense.
“When I first hit the first one,” he said, “I was like ‘please, just stay fair’ but I just kind of cleared my expectations after that and got lucky with the second one. I just put a good swing on it, not trying to do too much.”
According to event organizer and Special Adviser to the Boston Red Sox Frank Jordan, Triplett is the first college player to hit two home runs over the famed left field wall during any organized game in Fenway Park’s history.
His effort earned him the nickname “Baby Papi” from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh who was being interviewed on NESN’s telecast.
“You know, he was really good today,” NCCU head coach Jim Koerner said. “It was a big moment and he came up really big. He’s been good all weekend (after going 1-for-3 with two RBI in game one of a Friday in Pawtucket, R.I.) and it was just great to see him get one, let alone two.”
Triplett and Red Sox slugger David Ortiz’s heroic efforts were not topped but the victors got on the home run board in the form of an eighth-inning two-run shot senior third baseman Ryan Kennedy, an admitted New York Yankees fan.
With three wins on the weekend, FAMU jumped into a first-place tie with Bethune-Cookman in the Southern Division of the MEAC. The Rattlers (17-22, 13-8) are seeking their first NCAA tournament berth in program history.
NCCU (19-25, 12-11) looks to returning to the winning track in non-conference play to finish the season beginning next Sunday at Duke.
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