STONY BROOK, NY – A lack of offense in Game 1 and some defensive mistakes in Game 2 cost the North Carolina A&T baseball team two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) games against the Stony Brook Red Wolves at Joe Nathan Field on Friday afternoon into the evening. The Red Wolves won the first game 5-1 before winning the second contest 5-3. The two losses set the Aggies back in the CAA standings as they dropped to 17-22 overall and 9-12 in league play.
They enter the series' final game in ninth place in the standings. Meanwhile, Stony Brook leaped forward in the standings, improving to 18-22 overall and 9-11 in league play. The Red Wolves are in seventh place in the conference. Only the top six teams in the CAA qualify for the CAA tournament, May 24-27, in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
A&T registered only three hits in the first game and, therefore, could not take advantage of the four walks issued by Stony Brook right-handed pitcher Ben Fero (W, 4-4). Fero pitched a complete game and had nine strikeouts along the way. A&T RHP and starter Coley Kilpatrick (L, 4-4) went 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking one while giving up three earned runs.
The Aggies went with RHP Xavier Meachem to start Game 2. Meachem held the Red Wolves scoreless over the first three innings, striking out two along the way. In the meantime, the Aggies gave him an early lead in the second as designated hitter Camden Jackson reached base on an infield single followed by a single from second baseman Tre Williams.
A&T catcher Canyon Brown loaded the bases when right-handed starter Josh O'Neill (W, 5-4) hit him with a 1-0 pitch. That led to an RBI sacrifice fly from center fielder TJ Ash to score Jackson for a 1-0 lead. But Meachem ran into some trouble in the fourth when first baseman Brett Paulsen hit a two-run RBI double to right field to give Stony Brook a 2-1 lead. Meachem ended the Red Wolves threat by striking out catcher Chris Leone.
But the Aggies came to their starter's rescue in the sixth, with right fielder Shemar Dalton opening the frame with a double to left field. Dalton went to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a fielder's choice as Jackson reached. Williams moved Jackson to second with a single before Brown moved both runners into scoring position by grounding out to the pitcher.
Fero then unleashed a wild pitch, allowing Jackson to score for a 3-2 Aggies lead before striking out Ash. Meachem followed the Aggies two-run sixth by pitching a perfect home sixth before RHP Trent Simmons (L, 2-2) replaced him to start the seventh. Paulsen greeted Simmons with a single to center field. Shortstop Matt Miceli followed with another single before Simmons walked Leone to load the bases with no outs.
Simmons did gather himself and struck out Matthew Wright but got harmed on what appeared to be a passed ball that allowed Paulsen to score to tie the game at 3-3. With the infield in to turn the double play, second baseman Evan Fox did hit a ground ball to short for Devon Rodriguez. Rodriguez appeared to have misplayed the sharp groundball, but Fox was credited with a two-run single, scoring Miceli and Leone for a 5-3 Stony Brook advantage.
O'Neill retired the Aggies in order in the eighth and the ninth to record another complete game for the Red Wolves. O'Neill gave up five hits, three runs and zero walks while striking out six. Williams went 2-for-4 for A&T, and Jackson scored twice. Paulsen and Fox drove in two runs apiece in the second game.
In the first game, Dalton went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Matt Brown-Eiring went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. The Aggies played without two of their starting infielders in Cort Maynard and Sabin Roane.
