WILMINGTON, NC – Closer. Middle relief. Starter. No matter where you put right-handed pitcher Xavier Meachem, he responds. After compiling five saves to open the season, Meachem made his first start of the 2023 season as the flamethrower helped the North Carolina A&T baseball team earn a huge Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) win over UNC Wilmington, 4-3 at Brooks Field on Saturday.
Meachem (W, 1-0) lasted five innings, surrendering two, two hits and four walks while striking out five. He received plenty of help from his teammate Jake Delisi on the bump. The right-hander followed Meachem by pitching four innings, giving up two hits and one run on 56 pitches thrown.
Offensively, Aggie first baseman Anthony Hennings gave the Aggies a big-time run in the sixth inning with an RBI double down the left field line to left fielder Cameran Brantley who reached on a hit-by-pitch and moved to second on a passed ball to give the Aggies a 4-2 lead.
Delisi entered the game after Hennings' gave the Aggies a two-run lead and retired the first nine Seahawks he faced. But UNCW cleanup hitter John Newton opened the home ninth with a single and was replaced on the base paths by pinch runner Aiden Evans. Delisi recorded the first out of the inning by striking out Jac Croom, but Alec DeMartino singled to left center and moved to second on the throw that tried to put out Evans.
But the Aggies decided to stay with Delisi, and he rewarded the decision. Even though Trevor Marsh's groundout scored Evans from third to cut A&T's lead to 4-3, it marked the second out in the inning. Delisi did put another Seahawk on base by walking Bryan Arendt. But he got Taber Mongero to ground out to shortstop to give the Aggies the win.
In beating one of the top teams in the CAA, the Aggies moved back to .500 on the season at 13-13. They're above .500 in the conference again at 6-5. A&T snapped UNCW's three-game winning streak to drop the Seahawks to 17-10 overall and 8-3 in the league.
The Aggies took a 1-0 lead almost the same way they took a 4-2 lead. RHP and UNCW starter Mason Murdock hit with an 0-2 pitch, which led to an RBI double from Hennings before the inning ended on a Shemar Dalton strikeout. A&T added to its lead in the fifth when shortstop Sabin Roane singled and Dalton reached on an error. Third baseman Cort Maynard moved both into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
UNCW switched pitchers as LHP Matt Gaither entered the game. Designated hitter Camden Jackson extended his hitting streak to nine straight games when he singled off Gaither, driving in two runs to give the Aggies a 3-0. UNCW answered with two runs in its half of the fifth before Hennnings' sixth-inning RBI.
A&T second baseman Tre Williams went 0-for-4 on Saturday, ending his hitting streak at seven straight games. Newton had two of UNCW's four hits. The series rubber game will start at 4 p.m. Sunday.
