SAVANNAH, Ga. - The North Carolina A&T softball team lost three one-run heartbreakers at Savannah State on Saturday at Paulson Complex. The Aggies lost the first game to the Tigers 3-2. Maryland Eastern Shore defeated the Aggies 5-4 between the two Savannah State games.
Later in the day, India Morgan hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Tigers to an 8-7 win.
During the Aggies half of the eighth, they took a one-run lead. By rule, the Aggies had a runner placed on second to open the extra inning portion of the game. Dominique Gillard, the last person to make an out in the previous inning, moved to third on a passed ball. Detavia Kenan drove her home with an RBI single to left field as the Aggies took a 7-6 lead.
But in the eighth, the Tigers' runner on second came home on Morgan's home run, ending the game and completing the sweep for Savannah State. Kenan and Juanita Jernigan led the Aggies with two hits apiece. The Aggies took a 4-2 lead in the second thanks to a two-base error by Cassie Standard that allowed Jernigan and Lauren Clement to score.
The Tigers rallied to tie the game in the third and eventually took a 6-5 lead on a Tiffany Taylor sacrifice fly. N.C. A&T tied the game at 6 in the seventh as Tranea Jones scored from second on a fielding error by Standard.
Despite walking the first two batters of the seventh inning, sophomore Hope Fletcher was able to keep the Tigers scoreless in the seventh as she struck out Shannon Reno to send the game into extra innings.
The first game against the Tigers settled into a pitcher's duel between Fletcher and Tiffany Davies. Fletcher and Kenan had two hits apiece for the Aggies. After falling down 1-0 in the first, Kenan tied the game at 1 in the Aggies half of the second with her first career home run.
Taylor produced Savannah State's game-winning RBI in the second as her single scored Kerri Eubanks to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead. The Aggies did get a run in the third as Macklin's sacrifice RBI scored Niasia Calhoun. But Savannah State was able to hold off the Aggies the rest of the way. Davies picked up the win, while Fletcher was the losing pitcher in both games. Madison Hedderly came to pick up the save as she pitched two scoreless innings in Game 1.
Fletcher and Ryanne Hill had two RBIs apiece against Maryland Eastern Shore. Jones pitched seven innings in struck out three in the loss.
