EAST GREENSBORO – Western Michigan pitching slowed down the North Carolina A&T offense on Sunday. The Aggies lost the final game of the tournament they hosted at War Memorial Stadium over the weekend, 10-1. The loss ended A&T's two-game winning streak, dropping the Aggies to 5-6 on the season. The Mustangs improved to 3-7.
One day after posting a season-high 16 runs on 16 hits, the Aggies scored only once and had five hits. Sophomore Sabin Roane had the Aggies lone multiple-hit game, going 2-for-4 on the day.
It was a short outing for A&T right-handed pitcher Jaheim Brown (0-1) as he lost his first decision of the season. Meanwhile, WMU's four pitchers combined to strike out nine Aggies on the afternoon. RHP Luke Thelen got the start and went four innings, giving up three hits, three walks, one run and striking out five.
RHP DJ Thompson (1-1) got the win in middle relief, pitching three innings of shutout baseball with three strikeouts. Ryan Watt and Drew Szczepaniak each pitched a scoreless inning for the Mustangs.
The Mustang pitchers pitched at ease because the Mustang bats got going early. WMU had a 6-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings played. Dylan Nevar's infield single in the first inning led to WMU's first run, and the errant throw to throw out Nevar going to first led to the second run as Nevar advanced to second.
In the WMU second, the Mustangs posted four runs, with Cade Sullivan delivering the biggest blow, a two-run RBI single through the right side. A&T scored its only run of the game in the bottom half of the second as TJ Ash hit a one-out single up the middle, followed by a Roane single that moved Ash to third. Ash's hustle paid off as he eventually scored on a wild pitch to cut WMU's lead to 6-1.
After an Anthony Hennings strikeout, junior Cameran Brantley did earn one of his three walks on the day, but the inning ended on a Cort Maynard strikeout. But it was all WMU from there. WMU pitching retired seven straight Aggies after that point. WMU had three players with multi-hit games, led by Will Morrison, who went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Sullivan drove in four runs on three hits.
A&T returns to action Tuesday as they travel to Boiling Springs, NC, to face former Big South Conference foe Gardner-Webb at 4 p.m., from John Henry Moss Stadium.
