EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T was on the brink of winning the softball program's first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) three-game series before the Drexel Dragons rallied in the seventh to earn a 5-3 win over the Aggies Sunday afternoon at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex. The loss dropped the Aggies to 6-18 overall and 1-2 in the CAA after the program's first conference three-game series. The Dragons improved to 5-13 on the year and 2-1 in the Colonial.
The Aggies took a 3-2 lead in the home fourth inning on an RBI sacrifice fly from Katriel Williams as pinch runner Moriah Terry scored. A&T replaced starter Sharla Kirkpatrick with senior reliever Kayla Douglas. Douglas retired the first six batters she faced until Izzy Alamillo doubled to open the visitor's seventh.
Lana Mooney followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled at third base, allowing her to reach and Alamillo to advance to third. Amaya Kearse replaced Douglas in the circle and got Ameryn Humble to fly out to center field. But Humble's RBI sacrifice fly scored Alamillo to tie the game at 3. A wild pitch moved Mooney to third to represent the go-ahead run.
Kearse then walked Ashley Errico before Errico advanced to second to put two runners in scoring position. An error at first allowed Mooney to score, giving the Dragons their first lead since the visitor's first inning. A sac fly from Mia Garza pushed the Dragons lead to 5-3. Kearse got the Aggies out of the inning by striking out Kylee Guerrera.
Junior Alyxx Estrada, who excelled at getting on base throughout the series, led off the Aggies seventh with a single up the middle. Dezianna Patmon then ripped a one-out single through the left side putting Aggies at first and second and putting the winning run at the plate in Jai Deese. But a Deese strikeout and a Megan Ellis line-out ended the game and gave the Dragons the series win.
Patmon had a productive day for A&T, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. Estrada went 2-for-4 on the day and 4-for-8 in the series, with four walks and two stolen bases. Ellis drove in two runs. After Drexel took a 2-0 lead in its half of the first, Ellis aided in A&T's response by hitting a two-out, two-run double down the left field line to tie the game at 2 before Williams' sac fly in the fourth.
Jessica Schable (W, 3-6) pitched three innings of relief to get the win. Douglas (L,1-7) got the tough-luck loss. Alamillo led the Dragons by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. A&T will have a midweek game against Appalachian State at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex at 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 22.
