EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T used clutch hitting in the eighth inning, a terrific relief appearance and the bats of Tre Williams and Cort Maynard to earn a 9-5 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) baseball win over Hofstra Friday night at War Memorial Stadium. The Aggies bounced back from two midweek losses to improve to 11-11 overall and 4-3 in CAA play. Hofstra dropped to 7-14 overall and 2-5 in conference play.
In the first-ever meeting between the Pride and the Aggies, the two teams traded the lead several times over the first 7 ½ innings before the crucial eighth inning for A&T. The Aggies went into the frame leading 6-5. Catcher Canyon Brown started things by ripping a shot over the third base bag and down the left field line for a double. Williams, who finished the night going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, followed with a single through the left side to put Aggies on first and third with no outs.
After a groundout by left fielder Cameran Brantley advanced Williams to second, the Pride intentionally walked first baseman Anthony Hennings to load the bases, setting up a potential double-play scenario. Center fielder TJ Ash had other plans, however. He went the other way and tattooed a two-run RBI double to left field to score Brown and Williams, giving the Aggies an 8-5 lead.
"That was huge. We were in a battle all game from the very start," said A&T head coach Ben Hall. "We knew going in they were scrappy. They don't strike out. They are very similar to us. They're going to compete in the box, and they're going to get hits, so finding that opportunity to get the crooked number to give yourself some breathing room was huge.
But it wasn't just that hit. We had a couple of hits throughout the game, with runners in scoring position. But to have TJ come up there, go backside, and execute when seeing a ball up and make it happen was big."
The Aggies were not finished in the eighth, however. Shortstop Sabin Roane followed with a perfectly executed bunt; he legged out for a single while Hennings sprinted home to give the Aggies a four-run advantage. Pride right-handed reliever Tristan Nemjo retired the next two Aggies to move the game to the ninth.
RHP Ethan Snyder, who entered the game in the seventh for RHP and starter Coley Kilpatrick, made relatively quick work of the Pride. Ryan Morash did reach base on an error with two outs, but Will Kennedy struck out swinging to end the game. Snyder secured his first career save by pitching three consecutive scoreless innings starting in the seventh.
Hall also commended Kilpatrick (W, 2-3) for a solid start after he went six innings, pitching two consecutive scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth. Pride starter Mar Faello (L, 1-5) went 5 1/3 in the loss. Maynard had a solid evening, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored.
"They (Williams and Maynard) have had a good week. They have been good in practice, too," said Hall. "When you're in the office, you're saying, 'Hey, maybe this is the week that a couple of these guys start getting hot.' We had warm weather today. We hope to see consistent production out of some of those guys as the weather warms up. If anything, it helps you as a coach settle into what that lineup should look like in the middle of the order."
Trailing 2-0 in the third, the Aggies bats got going as Maynard slammed a two-run home run to right center to tie the game. After the Pride recaptured the lead with a three-run fourth, the Aggies got right back into the ball game with a two-run homer from Williams as A&T cut the Pride's lead to 5-4.
A&T took the lead for good in the fifth as Roane walked and Shemar Dalton singled to open the inning. Both runners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Maynard then hit a ground ball to third, which led to Dalton getting tagged out in a rundown. In the process, Roane scored to tie the game at 5-5, and Maynard went to second. Jackson flew out to right, which sent Maynard to third, setting up Williams' RBI double to left to give the Aggies a 6-5 lead.
Kennedy led the Pride by going 3-for-5 with three RBI. The two teams play Game 2 of the series Saturday at 3 p.m.
