EAST GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T baseball team earned their first series victory of the 2022 season, splitting Saturday's doubleheader against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, inside historic War Memorial Stadium.
The Aggies (2-5) dropped Game 1, 10-4, but responded promptly with a 6-0 win in the rubber game.
Game 1
Sophomore right-hander Logan Jarosz got the start for the Aggies on Saturday, but the River Hawks found their bats much earlier than they did on Friday. Sophomore Fritz Genther led off with a single before stealing second.
Junior Trey Brown followed with a walk and a ground out advanced both runners into scoring position. Sophomore Jimmy Sullivan smacked a single up the middle to score both runners and put UMass-Lowell up 2-0.
After getting a lineout to start the second, Jarosz walked three of the next four batters he faced to load the bases with two outs. Then, in a big spot, Jarosz got a flyout to end the inning.
A&T found their bats in the bottom of the second to the tune of a three-hit, one-run frame. With runners at the corners, graduate infielder Alec Seaton roped a single deep down the left field line to score Tyshawn Barrett from third.
The Aggies took a 3-2 lead in the third on three hits, highlighted by a double into left-center field from junior infielder Cort Maynard. They added one more onto their advantage in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from TJ Ash, making it 4-2.
Sophomore righty Jake Delisi relieved Jarosz in the fifth, and UML got one back in the frame on a pinch-hit, RBI single up the middle from River Hawk outfielder Gerry Siracusa. UML tied the game in the sixth on a throwing error from Maynard and blew the game open on a three-run homer from Brandon Fish, pushing their lead to 7-4.
"I was disappointed with the way we played in game one," A&T coach Ben Hall. "It was kind of a tale of two teams. Yesterday was high offense and consistent, quality at-bats, a lot of defense, good pitching. Then, this morning and through the early part of the day, we were in a good place, and then we kind of let the middle innings get away from us and then just didn't play good defense. The energy wasn't there either."
They would add three more in the eighth in a three-hit frame coupled with an error to make it 10-4. Ryan Towle earned the win on the mound, going 3.1 hitless innings with six strikeouts.
Game 2
Junior Peyton Winebarger (W, 2-0) got the nod in the rubber game and put forth the best performance of his career, shutting down the River Hawks for seven scoreless innings where he gave up just two hits and struck out a career-high 10.
This season, Winebarger has pitched 12.0 innings and has yet to give up a run.
"Peyton set the tone," said Hall. "When you have a starter that sets the tone like that, that changes the course of the game. When you get good starts, it helps push the energy of the team."
Winebarger wasn't the only one who set the tone for the game, however, as junior outfielder Cameran Brantley took the third pitch of the game for a ride on an absolute monster of a home run. Brantley hit it so far the ball hit the River Hawks' travel bus in the parking lot next to East Lindsay Street.
"Cam's home run kind of snapped us back to where we felt like we should be as a team," said Hall. "He can really hit, and when he's tuned in, he's hard to pitch to because he doesn't swing at balls typically, and when he's going good, he's got pop and so, all-around a good hitter, and it's good to get him going."
With Winebarger keeping UMass-Lowell at bay on the mound, the Aggie offense operated without worry. After Brantley's solo shot in the first, A&T started to pour it on in the second.
Seaton led off with a single to center, and Ash reached on what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt, but he beat the throw. Seaton advanced to third on a throwing error from catcher Ryan Proto, and then freshman Canyon Brown laid down a bunt, UMass-Lowell pitcher tried to go home and save the run, but Seaton slid under the tag.
Brantley drew a walk to load the bags. A walk-drawn for sophomore Alex Reyna would make it 3-0 before sophomore Xavier Bussey blew the game open with a two-run single up the middle to give the Aggies a five-run advantage.
A&T added one final run in the fifth on a sacrifice bunt from Seaton to score Bussey.
Winebarger exited in the eighth and was relieved by sophomore Justin O'Neal, who had the best outing of his career as well, throwing two scoreless, hitless innings to finish off the River Hawks.
Bussey went 5-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored on the day. Brantley added a 2-for-5 line with his home run, three runs scored and four walks drawn.
