EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T nearly salvaged its three-game series with Appalachian State on Sunday, but a four-run 10th by the Mountaineers led to an 11-7 win in 10 innings and a three-game sweep of the Aggies at War Memorial Stadium. The Aggies have lost four straight, despite scoring 23 runs and 24 hits during the three-game series with Mountaineers that started with two teams playing at Truist Point, home of the High Point Rockers on Friday. 

The Aggies are 3-4 on the season, while the Mountaineers improved to 7-0. Chet Sikes led the Aggies on Sunday by going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Sikes' RBI single in the third gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead. But App State rallied in the top of the fourth, aided by an RBI triple from Hayden Cross, an RBI single from Luke Drumheller, and an RBI double from Dylan Rogers to tie the game at 3. 

A&T reclaimed the lead in their half of the fourth, as Luis Espinal opened the frame with a single through the left side before moving into scoring position by stealing second. He moved to third on a groundout by Shemar Dalton, which led to Ivan Sierra driving him in with down the right field line. TJ Ash followed with a single through the right side to move Sierra to third. Right-handed pitcher Collin Welch replaced App State LHP Ryan Sleeper and got Ash to ground out, allowing Sierra to score for a 5-3 lead. 

The Aggies took a 6-3 lead into the seventh before App State got a run back and took the lead in the eighth inning on a three-run home run by Rogers to give the Mountaineers a 7-6 lead. The Aggies tied the game in their half of the eighth inning as Sikes opened with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Canyon Brown. LHP Skylar Brooks replaced Welch on the mound for App State. 

The first batter he faced, Espinal, reached on an error that allowed Sikes to reach third. Sikes scored on a wild pitch by Brooks to tie the game at 7. Right-handed pitchers Trent Simmons and Xavier Meachem combined to hold App State scoreless in the ninth before working toward a walk-off opportunity in the ninth. 

Cameran Brantley earned a one-out walk. Chris Moss replaced Brantley on the base paths as a pinch runner. Cort Maynard struck out swinging for the second out in the inning, but Sikes and Brown walked to load the bases. That led App State to turn to RHP Jackson Steensma on the mound. Steensma got Espinal to strike out swinging to send the game into extra innings. 

A two-run single from Jonathan Xuereb and a two-run double from Xavier Moronta gave the Mountaineers a four-run lead going into the Aggies 10th. RHP Zach Lewis hit Sierra with a 1-0 pitch with one out. But he struck out Ash and got Henning to pop out to end the game. 

Evan Hart (0-1) got the loss for A&T, and Lewis (1-0) got the win. Rogers led the Mountaineers with a 3-for-5 day that included four RBI, two runs scored, a double and a homer. The Aggies head to Columbia, S.C., Tuesday for a midweek game against the University of South Carolina.