GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T Aggies softball team completed their season-opening North Carolina A&T Aggies Softball Invitational perfectly. On Sunday the Aggies defeated Coppin State 10-3 in their first game before knocking off Maryland Eastern Shore 3-1 in five innings in their second game of the day. The Aggies are 4-0 on the season after winning both games on Friday.
It was a big invitational for N.C. A&T seniors Janika May and Alejandra Barcenas. May earned two pitching victories, posted a 1.75 ERA and had 10 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched. Offensively, May was 7-for-13 (.538) with six runs scored, two doubles and two RBI. Barcenas did not make an error at shortstop throughout the entire weekend, and she was 6-for-12 (.500) with five runs scored and three doubles.
May was not the only strong pitcher for the Aggies. Freshmen Mohagany Headen and Zadaisha Waddell helped the Aggies post a 1.35 ERA for the invitational.
Waddell started the game against UMES. She went three innings, gave up two hits, one earned run and she recorded 10 strikeouts. Despite Waddell's piercing fastballs, the Hawks were able to take a 1-0 lead over the Aggies. UMES's Ciara Schnyder earned a nine-pitch walk from Waddell to open the third inning. Samantha Casarez followed with a single and Kiana Peterson earned an infield single to load the bases. Waddell then struck out the next two Hawks to put herself in a position to pitch her way out of the jam.
Sara Whaley changed all that when she hit a slow roller in front of the plate. Waddell fielded it and flipped the ball to freshman catcher Lorrin Turner. Turner reached out to tag a sprinting Schnyder coming home, but it was ruled she missed the tag as Schnyder slid in to give the Hawks the lead.
But the Aggies offense quickly responded for Waddell. UMES starter Adrienne Guerra opened the inning by walking Zadia Davis on four pitches. May put two runners on with an infield single and Raven Gray followed with a single to load the bases. After Barcenas hit into a fielder's choice to eliminate one of the base runners, Waddell hit an RBI sacrifice fly to left field to score May to tie the game. Junior Jillian Nobles, seeing her first action of the season on Sunday, singled to left for a two-run RBI that scored Barcenas and Gray to give the Aggies a two-run lead.
N.C. A&T head coach Kenya Peters then turned to Headen to close out the game. Headen only allowed one base runner on a hit-by-pitch over two innings. The game was stopped after the UMES fifth due to darkness.
Against Coppin State, May was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Barcenas was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Headen was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI while Davis was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. May won the game by pitching a complete-game, five-hitter with four strikeouts.
The Aggies return to action Wednesday when they travel to Elon to face the Phoenix at 4 p.m.
