GREENSBORO (April 29, 2018) – North Carolina A&T softball saw its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season come to an end on Sunday with a 6-3 loss to N.C. Central at Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
The Aggies (7-36, 4-11 MEAC), who lost their 10th straight on Sunday, lost their final seven conference games to be eliminated from MEAC tournament consideration for the first time in seven years. N.C. A&T was swept by the Eagles (17-24, 8-7 MEAC) for the first time since the Eagles rejoined the MEAC in 2010.
The upside to Sunday was the recognition of three softball seniors on Senior Day. Before the game, the program recognized Nathaly Pacheco, Raven Gray and Talisha Jenkins. All three ladies turned their respective Senior Days into something prosperous.
They combined to go 5-for-11 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. Gray went 1-for-4 with a run a scored while Jenkins and Pacheco had multiple-hit games as each player had two hits. Pacheco added a run scored and an RBI.
Junior Zadiasha Waddell drove in two runs and junior Taylor Martin made the most of a rare start by going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
But the Eagles got going early before after holding off an Aggies comeback. Claire Eosso had the most devastating hit. She hit a two-run RBI single to right to give the Eagles a 4-0 advantage in the second inning.
The Aggies got things going in the fifth as Martin recorded her first career hit on a double to right-center field. Gray followed with an infield single to send Martin to third. Gray moved into scoring position by stealing second to set up Pacheco's two-out RBI single up the middle to score Martin.
Waddell made it a 4-3 contest with another single up the middle. Waddell scored Gray and Pacheco on the base hit. But NCCU put more distance between the two teams as Jacobia Johnson plated two more Eagles with two-run RBI single through the right side for a 6-3 advantage.
The Aggies did put the tying run on the seventh as freshman Samantha Ramirez was hit by a pitch and junior Zadia Davis reached on a two-out bunt single. But junior Mohagony Headen struck out swinging to end the game.
Eosso (1-7) got the win from the circle, while freshman Bayleigh Kirby (0-7) took the loss.
N.C. A&T has one regular-season game remaining, a 5 p.m., Thursday contest against Campbell at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
