Baseball | 5/19/2022 9:44:00 PM
Box Score
EAST GREENSBORO – Stellar relief pitching paved the way as North Carolina A&T defeated the Gardner-Webb (GWU) Runnin' Bulldogs, 6-3, in a Big South Conference baseball bout under the lights of War Memorial Stadium Thursday night.
The Aggies saw their nine-game losing streak end as they earned their first conference win since April 8. It was their first-ever Big South win at The War!
Freshman right-hander Evan Demurias (W, 2-3) came on in relief of fellow freshman RHP Jaheim Brown with the game knotted at 3 -3 in the fifth inning. Brown turned in a solid line going four innings and allowing three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts before his exit.
Demurias then turned in a career performance, going 5.0 innings and allowing just one hit with a career-high five strikeouts en route to his second win. The five-inning outing marked the longest of his young career.
His pitching performance allowed the Aggies (14-37, 2-20) to get things going offensively and jump ahead down the stretch, beginning in the home sixth.
Junior infielder Anthony Hennings led off with a single up the middle and stole second, his sixth steal of the year. After Hennings advanced to third on a wild pitch, sophomore Camden Jackson, who already had a double and a triple to his credit, drew a walk and stole second to put both runners in scoring position.
Freshman catcher Canyon Brown, the reigning conference rookie of the week, singled up the middle to score both runners to give A&T a 5-3 lead. Brown has a team-high 36 RBI.
A&T extended its lead the next inning when junior outfielder Cameran Brantley got ahold of the first pitch of his at-bat and sent it onto East Lindsay Street past right field for his seventh home run of the season.
Demurias came on in the ninth and promptly put to bed any GWU (21-33, 10-12) hopes of a comeback, retiring the Bulldogs in order to secure the win.
Three Aggies in Brantley, Jackson and junior Bret Mersman tallied multi-hit games. Brown and Mersman each had two RBI to lead the way. In the home first, A&T jumped on GWU starter Joe Simeone (L, 8-6), scoring three runs on three hits.
Things began when Brantley singled up the middle and then swiped second to get into scoring position. Two batters later, Jackson laced a double off the wall in right center to score Brantley and get the Aggies on the board, 1-0.
After Brown grounded out, Mersman tattooed a home run way over the right field wall to quickly give A&T a 3-0 advantage.
Simeone went 7.1 innings for the Runnin' Bulldogs but gave up all six runs on eight hits. He did tally six strikeouts, however, and has 108 on the season, most in the conference.
