GREENSBORO (March 26, 2018) -- North Carolina A&T softball had to put in some overtime to earn their first two conference wins of the season. The Aggies defeated the South Carolina State Bulldogs 2-1 in nine innings in the first game of a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference doubleheader played at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex on Monday as senior Raven Gray scored the game-winning run.
It also took the Aggies nine innings to beat the Bulldogs in Game 2, as the Aggies completed the doubleheader sweep, 7-6 as senior Nathaly Pacheco hit a walk-off RBI single. The Game 1 win ended the Aggies (5-21, 2-0 MEAC) seven-game losing streak as they kept the Bulldogs (0-14, 0-2 MEAC) winless.
Junior Mohagony Headen was superb in the circle in both games. She pitched a combined 12 innings, did not surrender an earned run while striking out a total of 14 Bulldogs. Headen (3-5) got the win in both games.
Headen started the first game and had a no-hitter going through the first six innings. Despite that, the Aggies trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to a two-out throwing error that allowed Quiana Hodge, who reached because she was hit by a pitch, to score.
N.C. A&T tied the game for Headen in their fifth inning. It took a two-out rally for the Aggies to even the score as senior Raven Gray earned a two-out walk from SCSU starter Jada Lake. Gray moved to second on a passed ball which set up junior Zadaisha Waddell's RBI single to left to score Gray.
Both teams had a chance to score in the seventh. The Bulldogs had the bases loaded with one out in the seventh, but Headen struck out Alston Jenkins and Rickary Holloway grounded out to end the threat. The bases were loaded for the Aggies in their seventh, but Stephanie Williams hit into a force play to end the threat.
Headen retired the six batters she faced over the eighth and ninth innings. N.C. A&T then began their march toward victory in the ninth when Gray walked with two outs. Gray took two bases on a Lake wild pitch. Waddell also walked to bring up freshman pinch-hitter Jendayi Wright. Wright hit a groundball to third base that Hodges bobbled which allowed Gray to score the game-winning run.
Headen, Pacheco and senior Talisha Jenkins had two hits apiece and Gray scored twice in Game 1.
Williams was superb for the Aggies in the second game as she went 3-for-5 with five RBI and two runs scored. The day included her hitting her first career home run. Pacheco and Jenkins added to their hit totals for the day as each player went 2-for-5 in Game 2. Jenkins scored twice and Pacheco drove in a run. Gray was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Williams started her offensive onslaught on the Bulldogs early in Game 2 as she hit a three-run RBI double in the first to help the Aggies take a 4-0 lead after one inning. Williams then puts two more on the board with a two-run homer in the third to give N.C. A&T a 6-1 advantage.
SCSU cut into the Aggies lead in their fourth with an RBI single from Kaniesha Pettiford. Later in the inning, Dezirae Rhodes scored on a wild pitch to bring the Bulldogs to within three at 6-3. The Bulldogs tied the game in the sixth with three runs as Hodge and Meagan Prunty recorded RBI singles and Pettiford scored on a stolen base.
N.C. A&T replaced Game 2 starter Waddell with Mohagony in the seventh. Mohagony walked one in the inning before ending the inning by getting Pettiford to fly out. Headen retired the Bulldogs in order in the eighth but did run into trouble in the Bulldog ninth.
With two outs, she walked Shana Abram and Richardson singled and reached second on the throw attempt to tag out Abram. With base runners on second and third, Rhodes grounded to send the game into the bottom of the ninth.
Another two-out rally on the day would give the Aggies the victory as Jenkins earned a two-out single. Gray and freshman designated player then walked to load the bases. Pacheco stepped in with her heroics and singled to left-center field for the walk-off base hit.
Lake (0-8) pitched 17.1 innings over two games to earn two heartbreaking losses.
The two teams will complete their three-game series 2 p.m., Tuesday at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex. Right after playing the Bulldogs, the Aggies will play non-conference foe Elon 4:30 p.m., Tuesday from LASC.
