EAST GREENSBORO – A slow start offensively gave way to the North Carolina A&T baseball team dropping a Friday Big South Conference contest against the Gardner-Webb (GWU) Runnin' Bulldogs, 12-7, inside War Memorial Stadium.
Junior left-hander Daniel Carter (L,1-7) struggled to locate some of his pitches early, throwing almost 40 in the first inning alone. That, coupled with three hits and an error for A&T defensively, allowed the Runnin' Bulldogs 23-33, 11-12) to an early 3-0 lead.
Jacob Marcos led off the game with a single before AJ Jones drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Marcos broke for third on an attempted steal. He likely would have been safe from Aggie freshman catcher Canyon Brown trying to throw him out, but Brown's throw was an errant one that allowed Marcos to recover and score the first run of the ballgame.
A few batters later, back-to-back two-out RBI singles from Daegan Brady and Bo Rusher completed the three-run inning. A third-inning two-run bomb from Benino Mendella put GWU ahead by five.
That would force the Aggies to head to the bullpen. Carter exited with a line of three innings pitched, six hits, three strikeouts and five runs allowed.
Sophomore RHP Logan Jarosz relieved Carter but did not last long. He threw two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had their offense going all day and led by as many as 11 heading into the Aggies eighth, due mainly to their starter Tyler Switalski going seven innings and allowing just four hits with six strikeouts before exiting.
That's when A&T's offense came alive.
Sophomore Noah Lea began the attack with a bloop single into shallow right center field before junior Cameran Brantley roped a double to right field to put both runners in scoring position.
Junior Anthony Hennings grounded out, but it was still productive as Lea came in to score the first run for the Aggies.
Sophomore Camden Jackson stepped into the box and swiftly laced an opposite-field double off the wall in left center, scoring Brantley easily. Brown then grounded toward Brady at third, but an errant throw not only allowed him to reach, but it advanced him to second while Jackson moved to third.
Graduate Tyshawn Barrett came on in a pinch-hit situation and sent a single up the middle to score Jackson as the Aggies cut their deficit to 11-3.
Sophomore Chet Sikes followed with another RBI single before graduate Alec Seaton came through in a big spot, slicing a two-out, two-run single through the left side to cut GWU's lead to five, 11-6. Another error, this one from Alex Ray at shortstop, allowed Lea to reach safely and Seaton to come in and score to make it 11-7.
GWU added another run in the ninth to extend their lead to five. A&T loaded the bases with one out in their last chance at-bat. Sikes stepped into the box and bounced a dribbler up the middle that looked to be a hit, but the ball deflected off Michael Portella's glove on the mound straight to Ray at shortstop, who was able to execute a double play and end the game.
Hennings turned in a team-high three hits while Seaton paced the offense with two RBI.
