DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The North Carolina A&T softball team went into its battle for first place in the MEAC Southern Division without its full complement of players. Seniors Lillian Bullock, Jessie Larson and Britney Reddick stayed in Greensboro to participate in Saturday's graduation ceremonies at the Greensboro Coliseum.

All three are four-year starters with Larson and Bullock being the Aggies No. 1 and No.2 run producers of all-time.

The Aggies benefited from their solid academics, but Bethune-Cookman was able to sweep the Aggies in doubleheader action 2-1 and 3-0 at Sunnyland Park. The two wins put Bethune-Cookman (27-22, 8-3) into a first-place tie with the Aggies in the MEAC Southern Division.

The two teams will play again Sunday at noon. The winner will be the No. 1 seed from the MEAC Southern Division going into next week's MEAC softball tournament in Ormond Beach, Fla.

A walk-off single by Joana Hernandez led the Wildcats to victory in Game 1. Allison Garcia led off the seventh with an infield single off of junior Jennifer Luper. Sabrina Ferguson followed with a single, and Michelle Banuelos-Smith was walked to load the bases. Hernandez finished off the Aggies with a single through the left side for the win.

The Aggies started the game off well. Senior Yahamma White had a lead-off single in the first followed by a single from freshman Hope Fletcher. Senior Channing Statham moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. It led to an RBI single from Luper and a 1-0 lead.

Bethune-Cookman tied the game in its half of the first as Ashton Hinds led off with a home run to left off of Luper. Luper (14-12) took the loss in both games, but she was hurt in the second game by three Aggie errors. The Aggies are 25-24 on the season, and 8-3 in the MEAC.