ROCK HILL, SC – The North Carolina A&T softball team played its second day of action at the Winthrop Eagle Classic on Saturday. In the Aggies first game of the day, their comeback efforts fell short in a 3-2 loss to Queens University of Charlotte at Terry Field. Later in the day at Terry Field, the Aggies lost to tournament host Winthrop 7-2.
The Aggies dropped to 1-6 in the young season. Freshman Katriel Williams led the Aggies against Queens with a 1-for-3, two-RBI performance. Sharla Kilpatrick came on strong for the Aggies in relief, pitching three innings of shutout softball while holding the Royals to two hits.
Kayla Smith got the Royals on the board in the second inning with a two-run homer. The Royals added a run in the third as Lindsay DeRoeck's RBI sacrifice fly scored Ashlyn Mickler for a 3-0 Royals lead. Queens pitcher Abby Craver pitched a complete-game three-hitter that included five strikeouts to get the win, but she did run into trouble in the A&T sixth.
Craver did open the inning by striking out Makayla Layton, but Layton still reached on a third-strike wild pitch. Craver settled in, however, and got Kiara Richards to pop out before striking out Kayla Taylor for the second out. But Alyxx Estrada kept the inning alive with a single, and both runners advanced into scoring position on a passed ball.
Williams took advantage with a two-run single to score Layton and Estrada to get the Aggies within one run at 3-2. Dezianna Patmon brought the rally to an end with a groundout to third. A&T did run into some trouble in the Queens sixth as Kilpatrick walked DeRoeck to open the frame. But A&T eliminated DeRoeck from the base paths with a caught stealing, and Kilpatrick got Emma Frye to ground out for out No. 2.
Haley Hmiel started a two-out rally with a single, followed by Smith reaching on an error, but Kasidi Staley grounded out to end the threat to keep the Aggies within striking distance going into the seventh. Latianna Langley brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh with a two-out single. But the game ended on a fielder's choice as Langley was thrown out at second.
Against Winthrop, Patmon drove in both Aggie runs with her ninth career home run. Megan Ellis added a 2-for-3 evening, and Jai Deese went 1-for-3 with a run scored. After the Eagles put up three runs in the third, Patmon had the Aggie response in the fifth as she homered to center field to score Deese, who opened the inning with a double.
Winthrop grew its lead with two more runs in the fifth and the sixth to take a 7-2 advantage. A&T had one more rally remaining in the seventh, however, as Ellis drew a one-out walk. Moriah Terry came into the game to pinch run for Ellis. Terry went to third on a Sierra Baldwin double down the left field line, and Deese loaded the bases by walking.
But Kilpatrick hit into a force play that allowed the Eagles to throw out Terry at home before Layton fouled out to end the game. Sydney Boulware (4-0) got the win in the circle by pitching five innings and striking out eight. Kayla Douglas took the loss. A&T concludes its play in the Winthrop Eagle Classic on Friday with an 11:30 a.m. game against Queens.
