EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T lost both games of a Big South Conference softball doubleheader to the Presbyterian Blue Hose, 10-0 in five innings and 6-2, Saturday at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
The Aggies are 13-30 overall and 3-17 in the Big South. Presbyterian improved to 32-11 and 17-5.
Freshman Jailyn Tineo led the Aggies with a combined 3-for-6 day with a double. Freshman Dezianna Patmon had a 2-for-6 day over two games with a home run, a run scored and an RBI.
Game 2 saw the Blue Hose take a 1-0 lead in the first when Lath Freeman hit an RBI sacrifice fly to score Jaiden Tweed. Patmon answered in the home half by taking a rising fastball and parking it over the left field fence for her seventh home run of the season.
Patmon's home run marked the Aggies 29th of the season, the most since 2012. It also extended her hitting streak to six, the longest one this season for an Aggie. She has also reached base safely in nine straight games.
Presbyterian regained the lead in its second after a two-run double by Tweed gave the Blue Hose a 3-1 lead. An RBI sac fly in the fourth increased the Blue Hose lead to three. The Blue Hose took a 6-1 advantage in the fifth when Haleigh Joyner hit a two-run single center field, scoring Morgan Hess and Kennedy Rhue.
A&T did plate a run in the fifth. Freshman Mariah Headen led off the frame with an infield single. However, she was forced out at second as graduate Jazzmaine Hammond reached on a fielder's choice. Hammond then stole second to set up freshman Icess Tresvik RBI single up the middle to score Hammond.
Two consecutive flyouts ended the Aggies threat. A&T had other scoring opportunities as well.
Tineo started the second inning with a single to right field. Sophomore Kiara Richards followed with a sac bunt but reached base on an error as Tineo advanced to third. Richards stole second base, but back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout back to the pitcher ended the inning.
The Aggies had another opportunity in the sixth. Tineo took the first pitch and hit a double off the left center fence. Richards walked, but a groundout back to the pitcher got the lead runner, Tineo, out at third. Back-to-back flyouts ended the inning.
Sophomore S'Nyiah Stinson (2-10) picked up the loss pitching in the second game, giving up four runs on five hits in five innings pitched. Freshman two shutout innings, striking out two and surrendering one hit.
Junior Kayla Douglas (0-5) took the Game 1 loss after pitching the first four innings, giving up nine runs on eight hits with two strikeouts. Freshman Mariah Headen came in to pitch the final inning, striking out two and not surrendering a run.
Kayla Douglas (0-5) picked up the loss, pitching the first 4.0 innings giving up nine earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts. Headen came in to pitch the final inning without giving up a run and recorded two strikeouts.
Presbyterian opened the scoring in the second with an RBI single from Rebecca Clark. Later in the inning, Tweed connected on a three-run homer to give the Blue Hose a 4-0 lead. After scoring on a throwing error in the fourth, the Blue Hose added five more runs in the fifth, starting with a two-run single by Kelby Goodrum, giving Presbyterian a 7-0 lead.
Clark added a two-run double, and Joyner connected on an RBI single to score Bailey Watkins.
The Aggies moved up Sunday's start time to 11 a.m. to close out the three-game series. A&T softball will celebrate Senior Day.
