GREENSBORO – Senior Ryan Jantsch moved his batting average above .400 and junior Kyle Clary extended his hitting streak to 11, but it was not enough as Gardner-Webb defeated the North Carolina A&T baseball team for the second time this season, this time 10-6 Wednesday evening at John Henry Moss Stadium. Gardner-Webb edged the Aggies 1-0 last week at War Memorial Stadium.
Jantsch went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI on Wednesday. He is now hitting .424 for the season. Meanwhile, Clary extended his hitting streak by going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Sophomore Adan Ordonez, who usually serves as the Aggies catcher, was the designated hitter on Wednesday and went 2-for-5 with a run scored in that role. Junior Keenan Herring added two RBI.
N.C. A&T's contest against Gardner-Webb was their second contest in as many days. For the second straight game it was a staff day for the Aggies. They started right-hander B Smith and also went with LHP Matt Stanley, RHP Kaeson Wilson, LHP Danny Garrett and RHP Leon Hunter. Gardner-Webb (14-1) jumped out to a quick 5-1 over the first three innings of the game.
The Aggies (3-10) clawed back to close the lead to within two runs at 5-3 in the sixth as sophomore Myles Sowell singled through the left side to score sophomore Forest Kimbrell. But the Runnin' Bulldogs pulled away again in their half of the sixth as they scored four runs aided by a two-run RBI single by Chandler Redmond to give GWU a 9-3 lead.
The seventh inning saw the Aggies make another run at GWU's lead. Ordonez and Jantsch both reached on singles to open the inning. Junior Timothy Ravare loaded bases when he earned a five-pitch walk from reliever Ryan Boelter (LHP). The Boelter walk was enough for GWU to make a change as RHP Ryan Thompson entered the game.
Herring greeted Thompson with an infield single that scored Ordonez. Clary followed with a groundball to shortstop that forced out Herring, but allowed Jantsch to score. Kimbrell loaded the bases when Thompson walked him on a 3-2 pitch. Wil Sellers entered the game to halt the Aggies surge as he got Jarrett Norman to hit a groundball to first that forced out Kimbrell at second, but it did allow Ravare to score to slice the lead to 9-6. Sellers did get Sowell to pop out to first to end the threat.
N.C. A&T would put the tying run on in the eighth as Ordonez doubled and Jantsch walked, but Ravare hit into a double play to end the inning. The Bulldogs added another run in the eighth and Sellers recorded the save. Smith (0-2) took the loss and Tyler Johnson (2-0) got the win.
MEAC play begins for the Aggies on Friday as they face North Carolina Central in the first game of a three-game series 3 p.m., Friday at WMS. The two teams will also play in a 1 p.m., Saturday doubleheader at WMS.
