GREENSBORO (March 17, 2016) – North Carolina A&T softball rallied from a five-run deficit to secure a 10-5 win over Norfolk State in the first game of a doubleheader played at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex on Wednesday. The Aggies actually lost their Game 2 before Jillian Nobles' triple in the seventh drove home the winning runs to complete the sweep, 7-6. N.C A&T (10-12) put up a combined 23 hits in the doubleheader.
Freshman pitcher Zadaisha Waddell pitched a complete game for the Aggies in Game 1, but it was not without challenges. Missed opportunities in the field gave the Spartans an early 4-0 lead in the first inning. NSU third baseman Whitney Williams led off the third inning with a single and continued to advance around the bases. An error at third helped her cross the plate for the Spartans final run of the game. Waddell (3-7) only allowed the Spartans three hits and all five runs the Spartans scored were unearned.
The Aggie offense started to come alive in the fourth. Sophomore Raven Gray got her team on the scoreboard in the fifth after back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt by Talisha Jenkins put runners on third and second. Senior Janika May's groundout RBI scored Gray from third to cut the Spartans lead to 5-1.
Norfolk State's 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning did not last long. N.C. A&T got their first seven batters on base, scoring four runs to tie the game. With two outs, Gray hit a three-run home run to score Lorrin Turner and Alejandra Barcenas. Waddell retired the Spartans in order in the seventh to make the come-from-behind victory complete.
The Aggies had another comeback in them in Game 2. A double in the seventh by pitcher Megan Przeslawski gave the Spartans a 6-4 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Aggies, however, loaded the bases in their half of the seventh, setting up Nobles' heroics. Nobles' 3-run RBI triple to right center scored Kimberly Brunson, Jenkins and Shi-Anne Campbell, all of whom were being franticly waved on by the dugout as they sprinted home to give the Aggies the walk-off win.
Unlike the first game, the Aggies did get off to a fast start in Game 2. May's two-run RBI single with the bases loaded gave the Aggies a 2-0 first-inning lead. Third baseman Jillian Nobles used her quick feet to steal second in the second inning and cross home plate after Barcenas singled to right field. Five hits in the inning appeared to give the Aggies a comfortable 4-0 lead before the Spartans rallied.
The next matchup is a doubleheader against Drexel at Lady Aggies Softball Complex on Wednesday, March 23 with the first game starting at 2 p.m.
