GREENSBORO - A morning that started with a steady rain, eventually turned into an afternoon with a brisk wind. By the end of the day, a biting cold came over the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
In between the changes in the weather, the North Carolina A&T softball team came away with a 7-5 win over Western Carolina, Friday during the first day of the annual North Carolina A&T Invitational. Freshman Detavia Kenan led the way for a lineup that included nine freshmen by going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored.
The game ended in five innings because of darkness.
The first game of the invite was postponed due to rain; therefore, only three of the scheduled four games were played. Four games will be played on Saturday and Sunday with Sunday's championship game scheduled for 3 p.m.
N.C. A&T plays twice on Saturday with an 11 a.m., game against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne and a 3 p.m., game against Presbyterian.
The Aggies lone game on Friday included a big seven-run second inning. Four straight Aggies reached to help N.C. A&T score its first run of the game. Kenan, however, had the biggest hit of the inning. Kenan lined a three-run RBI triple to left center field to score Dominique Smith, Sabrina Edmonds and Tiffany Macklin, giving the Aggies a 7-2 lead.
The Catamounts mounted a rally in their half of the fifth. Erin Foster opened the inning with a triple off of Aggies starter Hope Fletcher. Amber Steinhardt followed with a single to move the Catamounts to within four. Western Carolina scored its next run on an Aggies error. Jordan Fulton's groundout led to another run and only a two-run advantage for the Aggies.
But Fletcher ended the Catamounts rally with runners on third and second by striking out Ashley Jones. Fletcher (2-1) picked up the win by tossing five innings and striking out one.