GREENSBORO – Janika May's senior season started off pretty well.
The North Carolina A&T softball team opened the season Friday with two games in their annual North Carolina A&T Aggie Softball Invitational at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex. They won both games as May pitched a five-inning two-hitter and went 1-for-3 with two runs scored in the Aggies 3-1 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. She then went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead N.C. A&T to a 6-1 win over Coppin State in their second victory.
The invitational will continue on Sunday at the Lady Aggies Complex as Coppin State and UMES will play at 10: 30 a.m., and the Aggies will play the final two games with a 12:30 p.m., contest against Coppin State and 2:30 p.m., game versus UMES.
N.C. A&T opened play against UMES on Friday after the Hawks finished off Coppin State 10-3. But the Hawks offense didn't have near the luck against May. May's toughest inning was the first when she gave up a leadoff walk to Vanessa Gomez. Gomez stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on an RBI sacrifice fly to right field off the bat Adrienne Guerra.
There was not much success against May from there. She retired the Hawks in order over the next two innings and did not surrender her first hit until the fourth inning. Offensively, May benefitted herself as she scored the Aggies first run off a Kimberly Brunson RBI single. Freshman Kameron Graham gave the Aggies their second run when she grounded out to shortstop to score Alejandra Barcenas.
May gave herself and her teammates even more assistance as she led off the Aggies third with a single. Barcenas doubled to left-center field to give the Aggies a 3-1 run. After May breezed through the fifth, the Aggies turned to freshman Zadaisha Waddell to close things out on the mound. She earned her first career save by holding the Hawks scoreless over the final two innings. Barcenas went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Against Coppin State, Barcenas was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Brunson and freshman Mohagony Headen and two RBI apiece as Headen hit her first career home run. Headen also earned her first career pitching victory as she went five innings, surrendered just one hit and struck out six in her Aggie debut.
The Aggies broke open the game against the Eagles in the first inning as May singled to left field and Barcenas reached on error. Both runners advanced on a passed ball to set up Brunson's two-run RBI single through the right side to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Headen then stepped up and blasted a Melanie Benge pitch over the left center fence for a 4-0 advantage. Four runs were more than enough for Headen. She was a few tenths of a second away from a shutout.
In the Coppin first, she hit Danielle Smith with a pitch. Smith moved to second on a stolen base and to third on a sac bunt. Alanna Williams then hit a groundball to short. Barcenas scooped it up deep in the hole and pivoted toward home to throw out Smith. But the throw was a little late as Smith scored the Eagles lone run.
Waddell came in again in the sixth inning to close out the Eagles.
