HAMPTON – The North Carolina A&T softball lost two one-run games Saturday at the Hampton University Softball Tournament. The Aggies lost their first game in the tournament, 7-6 to Manhattan. They lost the second game, 1-0 to Drexel in what was a great pitcher's duel.
The Aggies are 6-8 on the season.
The Aggies got off to a fast start against Manhattan. With the bases loaded, Jillian Nobles singled up the middle to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead. A throwing error by Elena Bowman allowed the Aggies second run to score as Zadaisha Young-Waddell scored from third on the throwing error. The Aggies three-run inning culminated with Stephanie Kristo forcing in a run by walking senior Alejandra Barcenas.
The Jaspers (5-3) quickly seized the momentum back from the Aggies, however. N.C. A&T starter, Young-Waddell tossed a wild pitch with the bases loaded to allow the Jaspers to score their first run. Shannon Puthe followed with an RBI single to cut N.C. A&T's lead to 3-2. A walk to Alexa Dawid with the bases loaded allowed the Jaspers to tie the game at 3. A groundout RBI, a wild pitch and an RBI single by Bowman closed out the second-inning scoring for the Jaspers as they took a 6-3 lead.
An RBI single by Puthe in the third gave Manhattan a 7-3 lead before the Aggies began their rally. In the fifth, sophomore Raven Gray opened the inning with a nine-pitch walk. She moved to second by stealing the base before moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by Janika May. Gray eventually scored on an RBI single by Talisha Jenkins to cut Manhattan's lead to 7-4.
Aggies relief pitcher Maghony Headen kept the Aggies close by holding the Jaspers scoreless over the next two innings by allowing only one hit over that span. Offensively, the Aggies made another surge in their seventh. Headen singled and pinch-runner Shi-Anne Campbell moved to second for her on a passed ball. The Aggies kept building their rally as Young-Waddell walked and was pinch-ran for by Zadia Davis.
Campbell and Davis moved to third and second on another passed ball which led to a groundout RBI by Jenkins that scored Campbell and a throwing mistake that scored Davis to cut Manhattan's lead to 7-6. But Nobles would groundout to third to end the game.
Young-Waddell (3-2) took the loss in the Aggies first game, while May took the tough-luck loss against Drexel after pitching 6 1/3 innings and striking out four.
Drexel and N.C. A&T went into the home half of the seventh scoreless. May got Kimberly Chan to pop out for the first out. But Jourdan Skirha doubled down the left field line. It was followed by a walk-off double from Sharon Zamora to give the Dragons the 1-0 win. May dropped to 3-3 on the season and Gray led the Aggies offensively by going 2-for-3.
The Aggie players will spend their spring break in the New Jersey/Delaware area as they face Rider Monday at 2 p.m., and Tuesday at 2 p.m. They will then participate in the University of Delaware Tournament starting Friday.
