ELON, NC – North Carolina A&T softball completed its play in the Elon Classic at Hunt Softball Park on Saturday with an 8-3 loss to former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Morgan State.
A&T went 1-2 in its season-opening tournament. Dezianna Patmon had an excellent tournament. She went 2-for-3 on Saturday and 5-for-9 (.556) for the tournament. In three games, she totaled nine bases, had a double, a home run, an RBI and a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .636 on-base percentage.
Jai Deese, who missed most of last season, also had an excellent three-game stretch at Elon. She went 1-for-3 with a run scored on Saturday against Morgan State. Deese went 4-for-10 for the weekend with four runs scored and a double.
Deese and some MSU Bears miscues helped the Aggies get off to a fast start. Deese opened the second inning with an infield single and moved to second on a throwing error by Bears shortstop Mia Ewell. Another infield hit by freshman Makayla Layton scored Deese from second for a 1-0 Aggies lead.
Layton moved to second on the throw home before stealing third and coming home on a throwing error by MSU catcher Madison Nunez as the game entered the third with the Aggies leading 2-0, where the Bears answered the Aggies rally.
An RBI double by Asia Thomas got the Bears on the board as Gianna Ettore scored. Thomas later scored on a throwing error to tie the game at 2. After the Aggies went quietly in their half of the third, the Bears broke open the game in the fourth.
The inning included an RBI single from Anaya Hunte, a bases-loaded walk, and RBI sacrifice flies from Ettore and Alison Keener. It helped the Bears produce a five-run fifth to take a 7-2 lead. A&T put a run on the board in its half of the fourth as junior Alyxx Estrada led off the frame with a single and later stole second.
Another error by Ewell allowed Estrada to score to cut MSU's lead to 7-3. The error also allowed Layton to reach, but she was eventually caught trying to steal third, and freshman Megan Ellis ended the inning when she grounded out to short. After Morgan added a run in the fifth off an RBI double from Hunte, Hunte went to the circle and retired the Aggies in order in the fifth.
The Aggies had a rally going in their sixth, thanks to singles from Patmon and freshman Katriel Williams. Estrada sacrificed both runners into scoring position, but Hunte got Deese and junior Kendall Macauley to strike out. The Aggies got a runner on in the seventh on a Kiara Richards single, but a strikeout ended the game.
Hunte led the Bears offensively and in the circle. She went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI at the plate. She also picked up the win (1-1).
The Aggies hit .272 for the tournament as a team, and Patmon and Joey Barkhimer homered. The Aggies will play in the Winthrop tournament in Rock Hill, SC, starting Friday, Feb. 17, and their opponents will include playing Nevada twice, Marist, Queens University of Charlotte and Winthrop.
