Baseball | 4/18/2021 9:44:00 PM
Box Score
EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T Aggies used a three-run seventh inning to earn their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) baseball series victory of the season as they defeated the Florida A&M Rattlers 5-2 inside War Memorial Stadium, Sunday afternoon.
The Aggies improved to 12-25 overall and 7-9 in league play.
"Tough, hard-fought game today," said A&T head coach Ben Hall. "I'm proud of the guys for staying the course and competing the right way today."
A&T scattered eight hits across the game, led by senior shortstop Dustin Baber's 2-for-3, three-RBI performance. He had all facets of his game working as he made stellar defensive plays throughout the series.
On Sunday, he made a critical defensive play in the sixth inning. FAMU's LJ Bryant helped the Rattlers score their first run of the game with an RBI single to cut the Aggies lead to 2-1. FAMU still had runners on first and third with two outs for Seyjuan Lawrence, who chopped a high dribbler toward the middle of the infield.
Baber never took his eyes off the ball, sprinted from his shortstop position to cut off the grounder, and fired a laser to junior first baseman Zach McLean in the nick of time to end the Rattlers threat. That play went along nicely with the play he made on Saturday when he went deep into the hole at short toward the third-base side yet contorted his body back left to throw the ball across his body to make the assist on the putout.
"We played stellar defense again today," said Hall. "Dustin Baber played an outstanding game."
Baber's two-run RBI single broke the game open in the seventh. With runners on second and third following a sacrifice bunt from junior Justin Rodriguez, Baber stepped to the plate and hit a high chopper over the head of FAMU third baseman Adam Haiadermota.
Once the ball went beyond Haiadermota, it did not stop until it reached the left-field corner, scoring two to give the Aggies a 4-1 lead.
Baber eventually reached third with senior Camden Williamson on first. Williamson faked a steal attempt, intentionally got himself caught in a rundown between first and second, allowing Baber to dart toward home plate. Baber did score to give the Aggies a three-run lead.
"We really needed him to lead with his play," said Hall about Baber. "His two-out hit in the seventh was huge."
Senior right-hander Evan Gates (W, 3-2) made a relief appearance going 3.2 innings and allowing one run (unearned) on one hit with five strikeouts for his third win of the season.
Sophomore LHP Peyton Winebarger slammed the door on any possible FAMU comeback with 2.0 innings pitched, allowing one run and one hit and striking out three.
"Our pitching went exactly according to plan," said Hall. "Each guy did their jobs with flying colors."
The Aggies have UNC Greensboro on the schedule next. The teams scheduled the first pitch for 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 20, at First National Bank Field in downtown Greensboro.
