RALEIGH – The snowy weather held off long enough for the North Carolina A&T baseball team to get back on the field Wednesday in a 9-1 loss at N.C. State's Doak Field.
The game was the Aggies' first since beating Navy 10-9 on Feb. 14. It was a 10-day layoff for a team that has even had a hard time getting outside because of the snow. The N.C. State game was crucial because the Aggies were able to get 19 players some form of playing time before having to travel to Durham this weekend to face rival N.C. Central in the season's first three-game conference series.
Leadoff hitter Milton Rivera led the Aggies with a 2-for-4 day. Brandon Mitchell scored the Aggies only run by homering to left field on a 2-1 pitch off Wolfpack reliever Will Gilbert.
“We were able to get a chance to see what quite a few guys can do,” said A&T interim head coach Ben Hall. “It was tough after not being able to get on the field for 10 days, but it was good to be out there.”
The Wolfpack got on the board first with an RBI double off Andrew Keizer's bat in the third inning. Jake Fincher added to the lead in the fourth with a two-run RBI single to center field for a 3-0 lead. Ryne Willard and Joe Dunand broke the game open after reliever Luke McCreesh got into a bases-loaded jam. Willard singled to right field to score Knizner from the third. Dunand then drove in two more runs with a single through the left side to give the Pack a 6-0 lead.
“We have to be better offensively throughout the game,” said Hall. “We must get more at-bats, more quality at-bats. That would give us more base runners with a walk here, a hit there and all of a sudden we can be right back in the ballgame because our offense is being productive.”
The run support the Wolfpack provided would be enough for left-handed starter Brad Stone. Stone got the win by pitching six scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out four.
Left-hander Evan Miranda took the loss after going four innings, giving up three runs (all earned) and striking out one. The Aggies were able to get seven pitchers to the mound on Wednesday.
“Overall we're happy with the start we got from Evan Miranda,” said Hall. “He made some good pitches and kept us in the game, but we never got going offensively. We never made the adjustments to their lefty.”
A&T opens its three-game series with NCCU on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a doubleheader starting a 1 p.m., at Durham Athletic Park.
