WILMINGTON – An explosive sixth inning helped the UNC Wilmington Seahawks take the lead in the rubber game of a three-game series against the North Carolina A&T Aggies on Sunday at Brooks Field. But the seventh inning sealed the deal for the Seahawks in an 8-4 win over the Aggies. The Aggies acquitted themselves well against one of the best teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, taking a game off the Seahawks.
But the Aggies dropped to 13-14 overall and 6-6 in league play after UNCW took two out of three. The Seahawks have won four out of five and improved to 18-10 overall and 9-3 in the CAA.
A&T repeated its formula from Friday and Saturday by striking first against the Seahawks. A&T posted two runs in the first inning, ignited by a leadoff triple from right fielder Shemar Dalton, who scored quickly on a wild pitch from UNCW starter and right-hander Zane Taylor. Taylor then walked third baseman Cort Maynard, who scored on a one-out RBI double off the bat of catcher Canyon Brown, putting the Aggies ahead 2-0.
UNCW answered in its half of the first with a solo home run from Dillon Lifrieri to bring the Seahawks to within one before a second-inning RBI single by Brock Wills scored Kevin Pitarra to tie the game at 2.
The Aggies regained the lead in the fourth thanks to a solo blast off the bat of center fielder TJ Ash. It was Ash's first home run of the season and the second of his career. RHP and A&T starter Jaheim Brown (L, 1-3) pitched himself out of a UNCW scoring threat in the fourth before keeping the Seahawks bats relatively quiet in the fifth before running into trouble in the sixth.
Jac Croom opened the frame with a solo homer to right center to tie the game at 3. Jaheim Brown then hit Alec DeMartino with a 3-1 pitch, ending his afternoon. A&T replaced Jaheim Brown with RHP Ethan Snyder, who walked the first batter he faced in Trevor Marsh to put Seahawks at first and second with no outs.
Pitarra put both runners in scoring position with a sacrifice bunt before Taber Mongero brought DeMartino home on an RBI sac fly to left to give the Seahawks the lead for good, but UNCW was not finished. Wills walked and stole second to put runners and second and third for Lifrieri, who hit a two-run single to center field to give UNCW a 6-3 lead before the Aggies escaped the inning by getting Tanner Thach to fly out.
A&T tried to fight back as left fielder Chris Moss tripled down the left line to open the seventh frame. Shortstop Sabin Roane's groundout to short scored Moss to put the Aggies down by two. But the Seahawks added two runs in the seventh, which would be enough on Sunday. A&T's only base runner from the eighth inning was Tre Williams, who walked.
LHP Luke Craig (W, 3-0) pitched 3.1 innings of relief, striking out two and giving up one run. Canyon Brown went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Ash went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Lifrieri went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored for the Seahawks. A&T has a midweek game at home against Gardner-Webb on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before starting a three-game CAA series against Monmouth at War Memorial Stadium, starting Friday at 6 p.m.
