CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina A&T got what it wanted from right-handed starter Gianna Smith on Tuesday. The Aggies did not get what it wanted from their bats, however.
 
N.C. A&T struggled against North Carolina Tar Heel pitching on Tuesday in an 8-0 non-conference loss at Boshamer Stadium.
 
Smith came into Tuesday's game having pitched 2.2 innings with six earned run surrendered in three appearances this season.
 
N.C. A&T head coach Ben Hall is not hesitant in giving Smith opportunities, however. He knows the hard-throwing right-hander will be a critical part of the Aggies success this season. Smith went four innings against the Tar Heels giving up two earned runs and striking out three.
 
"It was definitely a positive to see Giana throw the way he did," said Hall. "That's a guy we're going to need throughout the year. The composure he pitched with on the mound today is what we have been looking for. His stuff is good enough and that's why we wanted to get him right back out there today. We wanted to get him back out there and let him make the adjustments after the weekend."
 
When Smith left the game in the fifth inning, the Aggies only trailed 2-0. But up at that point, the Aggies had not put a runner in scoring position, and they placed only one runner in scoring position throughout the night.
 
It appeared the Aggies (2-6) were headed for another night similar to the last two times they have traveled to Chapel Hill during the regular season. The Aggies lost 1-0 to the Tar Heels in 2018 and 2-1 to the Heels in 2019.
 
But the UNC sixth changed the dynamics of the game. The inning started with an Aggies fielding error that allowed Dylan Harris to reach. Angel Zarate followed with a single to put runners on first and second against senior RHP Justin Fox. Fox was replaced by senior RHP Leon Davidson who gave up an infield single that advanced Zarate to third and scored Harris.
 
An Aggies throwing error followed as Aaron Sabato reached and Angel Zarate scored to give the Tar Heels a 4-0 lead. A one-out RBI sacrifice fly by Tyler Kehoe closed out the sixth-inning scoring for UNC as they took hold of a 5-0 advantage.
 
With RHP Justin O'Neal on the bump for the Aggies in the seventh, the Tar Heels (7-2) added to their lead. Mikey Madej reached on an error, moved to second on a passed ball and scored on an RBI triple by Harris. Harris made it 7-0 when he scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Aggies had only four hits on Tuesday with first baseman Alex Bibb going 3-for-4. Smith (0-2) took the loss while UNC starter Max Alba (1-0) got the win.
 
"We were right there in the ballgame. We were not able to string enough quality at-bats together," said Hall. "It's really been the story of our year. We've got to at some point put some pressure on the other team. We're pitching well enough to be in the ballgame."
 
N.C. A&T is back in action 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28 when they face Boston College at War Memorial Stadium.