EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T's comeback bid in both games of a Sunday doubleheader at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex against Radford came up short. Radford defeated the Aggies 8-5 in Game 1 and 6-4 in Game 2.
In the first game, the Aggies (0-14) trailed 6-2 before they started to rally in the home half of the fifth. In the second game, Radford scored the first six runs of the contest before the Aggies came marching back.
The Aggies had a 2-1 lead going into the fourth as a two-run RBI single up the middle by Jocelyn Bennett scored two in the third after the Highlanders scored a run in the first.
Radford tied the game at two after an RBI groundout in the fourth inning. The Highlanders took the lead by scoring four runs in the fifth inning after a three-run home run by Talia Douglas and an RBI double from Olivia Turpin.
N.C. A&T began its rallying effort. Senior Samantha Ramirez hit an RBI sacrifice fly to drive home sophomore Jai Deese, who reached base on a triple to the left field to cut the lead to 6-3.
Radford stranded two more runners in the sixth inning, and the Aggies pulled within a run by scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Junior third baseman Desttany Parker started the inning with a double to right center, and Williams followed up with a single up the middle to move Parker to third.
Freshman Kayla Taylor pinch-hit and delivered with a single through the right side to drive home Parker to cut the lead 6-4. Junior center fielder Eternal Fuller nearly bunted for a base hit, but the throw got her just in time.
She did sacrifice runners to second and third for the first out of the inning. Deese walked to load the bases, but freshman Alyxx Estrada hit an RBI sac fly to center field to drive home sophomore Moriah Terry, who pinch ran for senior Stephanie Williams to cut the lead to 6-5. Taylor, however, was thrown out at third on the play.
The Highlanders hurt the Aggies comeback efforts in the seventh as Destiny Freeman hit a two-run homer to put the Highlanders up three. The Aggies went down in order in the seventh.
Radford's Jessie Marvin (3-5) got the win in the circle, and N.C. A&T's Kiara Richards (0-5) took the loss.
Freshman S'Niyah Stinson (0-4) pitched a complete game and had six strikeouts despite the Game 2 loss. Riley Oakes (1-1) also pitched a complete game as she was credited with the win after striking out seven.
Taylor and Alyssa Smith led the Aggies in Game 2 with an RBI apiece.
Radford scored four runs in the visitor's first. The Highlanders added a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth to claim a 6-0 lead.
The Aggies charged back late in the game. They scored a run in the sixth after Smith's infield hit scored freshman Kendall Macauley.
N.C. A&T then scored three runs in the seventh. Taylor started the inning with a home run over the right field fence to cut the lead to 6-2. After back-to-back outs, Estrada doubled to center field. Ramirez followed with a double to left center to drive home Estrada to cut the lead to 6-3.
After Latianna Langley pinch ran for Ramirez, Macauley singled to advance Langley to third. Langley scored on a wild pitch to cut the lead to 6-4. But a groundout ended the inning and the game.
Deese went 1-for-3 with two runs in the first game. She was 1-for-4 in the second game to extend her hitting streak to five games, and the hits gave her a 12-game reach-base safely streak. Estrada also has a five-game hitting streak after going 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in the first game. She went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the second contest.
Macauley went 2-for-4 in the first game and 2-for-3 in the second with a run scored. Macauley leads the team with four multi-hit games after recording two on Sunday. Bennett went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Game 1 to extend her hitting streak to five. But had it snapped in Game 2.
Williams went 2-for-3, and Ramirez and Taylor each recorded an RBI.
The Aggies finish the eight-game homestand with a noon doubleheader against Furman on Friday at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
