HAMPTON, Va. – After surrendering a four-run lead capped by a three-run walk-off triple in the first game, the North Carolina A&T Aggies recovered nicely in Game 2 during a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) softball doubleheader at HU Softball Stadium on Saturday. The Aggies lost the first game 5-4 before winning Game 2, 9-3.
The split leaves A&T in good standing for qualifying for the 2023 CAA Softball Championship Tournament, May 9-13, in Hempstead, NY. The top eight teams in the conference standings qualify for the tournament. Five teams have already qualified, and the Aggies stand in seventh place at 16-30 overall and 9-11 in league play.
More importantly, they are 2 ½ games ahead of ninth-place Stony Brook with only four conference games remaining. Hampton, who still has faint hopes of making the tournament, is 15-27 overall and 4-15 in league play.
The Aggies had a heartbreaking loss in Game 1, where they led 4-0 going into the seventh and final inning before the Pirates rallied with five runs to win with the walk-off triple. But the Aggies held off a potential Hampton rally in the second game. A&T started and finished strong with four runs in the first and four more in the seventh.
Second baseman Alyxx Estrada led off the second game with a double down the left field line off starter Jordyn Scott (L, 3-7). A&T's top slugger Jai Deese followed with a double to left center to score Estrada to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead. Third baseman Dezianna Patmon put Aggies on the corners with a single before first baseman Kiara Richards walked to load the bases.
But left fielder Katriel Williams hit into a force play that forced out Deese trying to go home. Catcher Jocelyn Bennett also reached on a fielder's choice. It allowed Patmon to score, giving Bennett an RBI and the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Hampton shortstop Nicol Ley then dropped a fly ball hit by pitcher Megan Ellis (W, 5-4), which triggered a lot of action on the play.
The drop allowed Richards and Williams to score. Ellis went to second, but Bennett was thrown out at third for the second out of the inning. Then, when shortstop Makayla Layton flew out the left, the Aggies came away from the first with a 4-0 lead. But Hampton answered with two runs in the third as designated player Camrynn Bonner hit a two-run RBI single, cutting A&T's lead to 4-2.
Hampton moved to within one in the fifth when Kayla Domon hit a two-out RBI double to right center to score Taylor Ivey, who reached on an infield single earlier in the inning. But Aggies would not let the happenings of Game 1 creep into Game 2. In the sixth inning, the Aggies opened the frame with a walk to Richards and a single to Williams. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a groundout by catcher Sierra Baldwin.
Ellis followed by hitting into a fielder's choice, as Williams was eliminated from the base paths. But Richards did score to give the Aggies a 5-3 lead. A&T put the game away with a flourish in the seventh, starting with Deese recording a one-out single followed by a walk to Patmon. Richards reached on a fielder's choice but hit into a force play that forced out Deese before Williams hit an RBI single through the right side to give A&T a 6-3 advantage.
Richards moved to third on the play before the Aggies loaded the bases when Hampton pitcher Jada Evans hit Baldwin with an 0-1 pitch to load the bases. Then, Ellis had the good fortune of reaching on another dropped fly ball, clearing the bases to give the Aggies a 9-3 lead. After Layton fouled out, the Aggies entered the seventh with Sharla Kirkpatrick (S, 1) in the circle. She retired the Pirates in order, giving the Aggies the win.
Ivey went 2-for-3 with two runs scored for the Pirates in Game 2. Deese went 3-for-4 with an RBI, and Williams had a 2-for-4 Game 2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Richards scored three times. Williams also had an outstanding Game 1 by going 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Bennett went 2-for-3 in the first game.
Like in Game 2, the Aggies took a first-inning lead as RBI singles from Richards and Williams gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead. A Patmon solo home run in the third, her third of the season, put the Aggies ahead 3-0. Bennett's RBI single in the sixth put the Aggies ahead comfortably 4-0.
A&T starter Joey Barkhimer escaped the sixth inning without much trouble, giving her a chance at a complete-game finish. But the Pirates chased her after an RBI single by Emily Kepple cut A&T's lead to 4-1. Senior Kayla Douglas (L, 4-8) entered the game to halt the damage. But Hampton would eventually load the bases leading to an RBI single from Camryn Thompson to pull the Pirates to within two.
Ley then walked things off with her three-run triple to right center, giving the Pirates the win. Game 2 loser, Scott, earned the win in Game 1. The series finale is at 1 p.m. Sunday at HU Softball Stadium.
