EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T's offense is explosive. In a 16-2 non-conference baseball win over Bucknell on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium, the Aggies posted season highs in runs scored (16), hits (16), RBI (15), home runs (4), walks (9) and at-bats (43) to continue showing off their offensive prowess thus far this season.
A&T's four home runs came from sophomore Canyon Brown, junior Michael Logan, freshman Chris Moss and junior Luis Espinal. The Aggies, who improved to 5-5 on the season after Saturday's win, are averaging 6.6 runs and 10.8 hits per game.
Three Aggies had at least three hits on Saturday, led by sophomore Shemar Dalton, who went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Brown scored five times, went 3-for-6 and drove in three runs. Espinal, meanwhile, had a 3-for-5 day with three RBI and two runs scored.
A&T scored at least one run in each of its first five innings to take a 10-1 lead. Brown started the fun in the first inning with an RBI to center field to score Tre Williams. Dalton's double to left center field scored Brown for A&T's two-run first. A&T added a run in the second with Espinal's homer before his two-run RBI double highlighted a three-run third for the Aggies.
Freshman Chris Moss, who had the Aggies game-winning hit on Friday against Western Michigan, helped the Aggies put three more runs on the board against the Bison with a three-run blast to left field. It marked Moss's first career homer.
The Aggies didn't slug their way to runs in the fifth, but they did put together a two-out rally as Williams was plunked with a 2-0 pitch to reach base. Williams then advanced to second on a Brown single, setting up Williams scoring on an error by Bison second baseman Billy Kender.
After Bucknell's Grant Voytovich homered in the seventh, the Aggies added six more runs. TJ Ash, who has hit safely in nine of the Aggies 10 games this season, hit a two-run single through the right side before Sabin Roane hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right to increase A&T's lead to 13-2. Brown's two-run homer in the eighth and Logan's solo shot in the ninth completed A&T's scoring on the day.
But do not ignore the Aggies pitching effort, either. Making his second start of the season, junior right-handed pitcher Coley Kilpatrick (W, 1-2) went five innings, striking out three, walking one and surrendering only one run.
Freshman RHP Evan Hart went two innings and surrendered one run, and junior right-handers Jake Delisi and Ethan Snyder pitched an inning apiece of scoreless baseball. Chris DiFoiore (1-2) got the loss for the Bison.
A&T wraps up the weekend with its contest in three days against Western Michigan as the two teams square off at 4 p.m.
