EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T fell to the Elon Phoenix, 10-4, on Saturday afternoon inside War Memorial Stadium in non-conference baseball.
  
The Aggies (5-9) did not get the start they were looking for from freshman Derek Martinez (0-2). Elon (4-8) combined three hits with two walks to plate three runs in the first three innings.  
 
N.C. A&T got two runs back, one in the third and one in the fourth, to make it 3-2.
  
Freshman Alex Reyna knocked a lead-off double to right field in the third. A wild pitch advanced him to third before sophomore Cameran Brantley laced a two-out RBI double to right field. In the fourth, junior Justin Williams singled through the left side to lead off the home-half.
 
He stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch and in a wild run-down sequence centered on senior Shane Faulk, Williams came home for A&T's second run of the game.
 
N.C. A&T compiled 10 hits on the game, but left eight runners stranded on base. Brantley led the Aggies with a career-high 5-for-5 performance with one RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Grant Tilley, who had the walk-off, two-RBI knock on Friday night, went 3-for-3.
  
The Phoenix got the first two batters on base to start the fifth before Martinez was pulled from the game. Senior Justin Fox relieved him, but was unable to keep the runners from coming around to score. An RBI sacrifice fly and a single up the middle later, it was 5-2 Elon advantage.
  
Martinez's final line was 4.0 innings pitched with five runs, all earned, on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
 
The Phoenix utilized a two-hit, five-run sixth inning to extend their lead to 10-2. Two walks, a balk and an error from the Aggies aided Elon in plating the runs.
 
The Aggies were able to get two runs back in the bottom of the eighth, capitalizing on a fielding error by Elon's second baseman that scored Brantley and freshman TJ Ash, but that was all for A&T.
 
The rubber match is slated for tomorrow, March 14 at 2 p.m. at Latham Park in Elon, N.C.