TOWSON, Md. – A seventh-inning home run from North Carolina A&T shortstop Makayla Layton nearly propelled the Aggies to a come-from-behind win in the second game of their Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) softball doubleheader at Towson on Sunday.
But Layton's late-inning homer would not be enough as the Tigers held on to win 3-2 at Tiger Softball Stadium. Towson won Game 1, 9-2. A&T has lost four out of five and dropped to 12-29 overall and 5-10 in the CAA. Towson completed the sweep of the Aggies and is now 23-17 overall and 12-6 in league play.
Layton's home run in Game 2 of the seventh broke her out of an 0-for-12 slump as she belted her second homer of the season. Fellow freshman Megan Ellis then earned a walk-off Towson starter Maddie Gardner (W, 10-6), putting the tying run on base and the go-ahead run at the plate in catcher Sierra Baldwin.
But Baldwin popped out to short for the first out of the inning. Right fielder Moriah Terry did move Ellis into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. But Ellis went no farther as left fielder Latianna Langley flew out to center to end the game.
Game 2 developed into a pitcher's duel. Towson held a 1-0 lead on an unearned run against starter Sharla Kirkpatrick (L, 1-4) going into the sixth inning. But the Aggies tied the game during the frame as second baseman Alyxx Estrada hit a leadoff triple to left center. Estrada went 1-for-3 in Game 1 to extend her streak of reaching base safely to 12 straight games. She also has a five-game hitting streak going.
Center fielder Jai Deese, the Aggies leader in RBI, recorded another one with an RBI bunt single to score Estrada. Gardner, who pitched a complete-game five-hitter, giving up five hits, two runs, three walks, and striking out seven, retired the next two A&T batters in the sixth to end the frame.
But the Aggies could not keep the game tied as the home sixth opened with Cara Bohner reaching on an error. A sacrifice bunt moved Bohner to second before a flyout to right moved her to third. Towson third baseman gave the Tigers the lead with an RBI infield single to score Bohner.
A Towson substitution helped the Tigers add a comfort run. Pinch-hitter Syndi Byers replaced left fielder Elizabeth Yoskowitz at the plate and made her opportunity count with an RBI triple down the right field line to score pinch runner Kellie Zoerb for a 3-1 Towson lead. The extra run proved crucial because Layton opened the seventh with a home run.
Kirkpatrick had a solid outing in the circle in Game 2, giving up two earned runs and eight hits over six innings pitched.
Towson put up nine runs on 13 hits in the first game. A four-run second for Towson, including a home run from Kristin Toland and a two-out, two-run single from Cori Jones, gave the Tigers a 4-0 lead. However, the Aggies cut that lead in half in the fourth as Deese opened the frame with a walk.
Deese moved to third on a single from third baseman Dezianna Patmon. Patmon was removed from the base paths as Ellis reached on a fielder's choice, and Deese scored to cut their deficit to three at 4-1. Jocelyn Bennett moved Ellis to second on a sac bunt before Kiara Richards singled up the middle and a pitch hit Layton to load the bases.
Towson starter Cheyenne Beayon (W, 4-2) hit her second batter of the inning as she plunked Baldwin with an 0-2 pitch to force in a run and cut the Tigers lead to 4-2. But Towson scored at least one run over its next three at-bats to earn the seven-run win.
Ellis (L, 4-4) pitched two innings for the Aggies in Game 1. Three Tigers had three-hit games on Sunday.
