EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T softball joined North Carolina A&T women's basketball and North Carolina A&T baseball on Saturday. Like those two programs, Aggies softball won its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) game on its first try.
In the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex, the North Carolina A&T softball team received another strong pitching performance from freshman Megan Ellis. In addition, Jocelyn Bennett and Jai Deese recorded two hits apiece to lead the Aggies to a 5-1 win over the Drexel Dragons. A&T split with the Dragons on Saturday, losing the second game 3-2.
The split moves A&T to 6-17 on the season and 1-1 in the CAA. Drexel is 4-13 overall and 1-1 in league play. The two teams will complete their three-game series from the Lady Aggies Softball Complex on Sunday at noon.
Ellis improved to 3-0 on the season as she went six innings, giving up nine hits, one run and three walks while striking out four. However, she ran into some trouble in the seventh as Ameryn Humble led off the frame with a single. Ashely Errico followed Humble's single with a double putting Dragons on second and third with no outs. Interim head coach Diego Ibarra turned to senior Kayla Douglas to preserve the win.
It was the right choice. After entering the game, Douglas retired the Dragons in order to secure the historic win for A&T. The Aggies built a comfortable lead throughout the game as Alyxx Estrada opened the Aggies first with a double to right center field. Sierra Baldwin followed with an RBI single to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
Drexel tied the game at 1-1 in the third before the Aggies responded in their half of the third. Once again, Estrada set the table by leading off the frame with a walk. She stole second and came home on a Dezianna Patmon double to center. Jai Deese followed with a double to put runners at second and third for Ellis, who grounded out to score Patmon for a 3-1 A&T advantage.
A&T gave Ellis even more of a cushion in the fifth as Deese and Bennett hit solo home runs to put the Aggies ahead by four before Ellis and Douglas closed out the Dragons in the circle. Estrada doubled, scored twice, and walked three times for A&T. Jessica Schable (L, 2-6) pitched 4.2 innings in the loss. Humble went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Game 1.
In Game 2, Drexel's Lindsay Nelson (W, 2-7) pitched a complete-game five-hitter, giving up one earned run and striking out seven. Her counterpart, A&T's Joey Barkhimer (L, 1-4), had five strikeouts and did not walk a batter in a losing effort. She only gave up one earned run.
A&T broke open a scoreless contest in the third as Estrada continued to give the Dragons problems by getting on base. She opened the third with a single before stealing second. She then remained in a rundown long enough to allow Patmon to reach on a fielder's choice before sliding into second safely to put Aggies on first and second.
Deese flew out to right, but Humble made an errant throw into the infield, allowing Estrada to score for a 1-0 Aggies lead. The Dragons tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth on a Lily Meuninck RBI single. Drexel took the lead in the fifth as a single by Devyn Demchak, and a double by Izzy Alamillo put runners on second and third.
A wild pitch by Barkhimer allowed Demchak to score for a 3-1 Dragons advantage. The Aggies tried to make things interesting in the home seventh.
Ellis led off the frame with a pinch-hit walk and was replaced on the base paths by Moriah Terry. Terry stole second before Katriel Williams singled and advanced on the throw home to put runners at second and third. Estrada's RBI sac fly to right scored Terry to pull the Aggies to within one, 3-2.
But with the tying run at third, Baldwin grounded out to the pitcher to set up Sunday's rubber game. The Aggies stole five bases in Game 2. Alamillo went 2-for-4.
