GREENSBORO – Sophomore Milton Rivera hit another home run for the North Carolina A&T baseball team, but Navy had its third straight efficient offensive output to sweep a three-game series from the Aggies with an 11-4 win Sunday afternoon at War Memorial Stadium.
Rivera who had three home runs on Saturday added another homer in the first inning on Sunday to give him four on the season, which is four times more than he had last season. He also added a single in the eighth inning to finish the series 5-for-12 with six RBI, four runs scored and a ridiculous 1.417 slugging percentage.
But Navy's start on Sunday was way too good for Rivera's offensive onslaught to have an impact. The Midshipmen (3-0) scored nine runs, produced 10 hits and were walked four times over the first four innings of the game. The Aggies were able to add a run in their half of the fourth as sophomore Adan Ordonez hit a one-out single to center field. Ordonez advanced to second on a Dawnoven Smith groundout which set up Ryan Jantsch's RBI double to right to make it a 9-2 Navy lead as Ordonez scored.
Jantsch's two doubles in the series led to three RBI. After the inning ended with a Timothy Ravare strikeout, the game went into a one hour rain delay. When the teams returned to the field top of the fifth, Aggies right-hand junior reliever Will Greene looked sharp. Greene helped the Aggies retire the Midshipmen in order for the first and only time in the game. Senior first baseman kept the momentum going in the Aggies fifth by earning a leadoff double, his first hit of the season. But the Aggies were not able to bring him home.
The Midshipmen were able to add another run to further stump out any N.C. A&T rally hopes in the sixth as Connor Deneen was able to score from second on an Aggies fielding error.
Navy, who N.C. A&T head coach Ben Hall described as a good hitting team with a transfer from the University of Florida leading the way, had 14 hits on Sunday and 41 for the series. Sean Trent, the UF transfer, went 2-for-6 on Sunday with two RBI and a run scored. Nick Paglialonga added three hits and three RBI. Trent, Paglialonga and Stephen Born homered.
Sophomore Myles Sowell had his best game of the series for N.C. A&T as he went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Navy starter Kyle Condry (1-0) got the win for Navy after pitching five innings and striking out six in 73 pitches thrown. Kaeson Wilson (0-1) took the loss. The Aggies will move on face East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., Wednesday, February 24 at 4 p.m.
