GREENSBORO (March 22, 2016) – Sophomore Milton Rivera hit a game-winning RBI double down the right field line to lead the North Carolina A&T baseball team to a 9-8 win in 10 innings over UNC Greensboro Tuesday night at NewBridge Bank Park, home of the Greensboro Grasshoppers minor league baseball team in downtown Greensboro.
It was the Aggies first win over UNCG since April 28, 2009. It was a losing streak of eight straight games, and it was only N.C. A&T's seventh win over the Spartans in 48 tries. The Aggies No. 1, 2 and 3 hitters were superb. Leadoff man Myles Sowell was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Rivera, who hits in the No. 2 spot, was 2-for-6 with a run scored and his game-winning RBI. The No. 3 man Adan Ordonez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI. Combined they were 6-for-15 with five runs scored and eight RBI.
“They were unbelievable tonight,” said N.C. A&T coach Ben Hall. “If we can flip the order and they're swinging the bats like that we've got a chance to score a lot of runs.”
The Aggies, who improved to 5-17, met after a tough three-game series against Campbell over the weekend in which two of the losses were lopsided. They essentially wanted to go out and prove they are better than what their record indicates. One of the things that helped the cause on Tuesday was right-hand starter B Smith.
Smith gave up six hits, five runs (three earned), walked five and struck out four but more importantly he devoured five innings of the game to prevent his bullpen from being overworked.
N.C. A&T's offense also helped the cause by scoring runs early. When Smith left the game the Aggies held an 8-5 lead thanks to back-to-back doubles from Sowell and Ordonez in the fourth inning that ignited a four-run fourth inning that gave the Aggies a 6-5 advantage. Sowell then added two more RBI to his totals by doubling to right field to score Forest Kimbrell and Kyle Clary.
The Spartans (15-6) cut into that lead as soon as Smith left as Trip Shelton hit a two-run homer to make it an 8-7 game. The game was tied in the home seventh as Ben Spitznagel singled through the right side to score Andrew Moritz to tie the game at 8.
UNCG, who came into the game hitting .370 for the season, kept threatening to put the Aggies away the rest of the way. But RHP Leon Hunter and N.C. A&T resisted. UNCG put a runner in scoring positon in the eighth before he was caught stealing going to third. Ryne Sigmon opened the ninth by earning a seven-pitch walk from Hunter. The Aggies then turned to RHP Robert Peck. Peck gave up a one-out walk to Moritz to put runners on first and second before getting JoJo Underwood to fly out and Spitznagel to ground out to end the threat.
Collin Woody (1-1), who lost the game in relief, set up Rivera's game-winning opportunity by hitting Sowell with the first pitch he threw to him. Rivera enthusiastically scored him on his RBI double.
“UNCG is a good program and has been a solid program over the years. You want to be competitive because it's good for baseball in this town,” said Hall. “You want to play the best. You want to play good teams, and it's no secret we're in the same town. It is a great baseball town, and we want to be a part of the talk.”
N.C. A&T and UNCG will meet again quickly as the Aggies will travel down Market Street to face the Spartans at UNCG Baseball Stadium on March 29 at 6 p.m. Before that game takes place the Aggies have a crucial three-game MEAC series at Bethune-Cookman Friday and Saturday.
