EAST GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T pitcher Megan Ellis did it all for the North Carolina A&T this past weekend. She pitched. She hit. She drove in runs. And on Monday, she earned Colonial Athletic Association rookie of the week honors for all those efforts.
At the Lady Aggies Softball Complex, Ellis and the Aggies won two out of three from the Hofstra Pride, the CAA's No. 1 team coming into the weekend. It marked the Aggies first-ever series win in CAA play. Ellis played a big part during the first game of a Sunday doubleheader against the Pride.
She pitched a gutsy complete-game, three-hitter, holding off several Hofstra rallies, including one that occurred in the seventh inning. Hofstra's Madison McKevitt singled to shallow right field with one out. But Gianna Iaquinto lined out to Katriel Williams in left field for the second out of the inning. But things got dicey when Ellis walked Alanna Morse on four pitches to bring the tying run to the plate in Chelsea Manto.
However, the Aggies stuck with their freshman ace, which paid off as Manto hit a weak groundball to Makayla Layton. Layton turned toward third base and fired a throw to Dezianna Patmon for the force out at third, giving the Aggies the 5-2 win.
Ellis threw 82 pitches, only surrendered three hits and two walks, and did not give up an earned run to lower her ERA to 2.21. At the plate, Ellis drove in a run in the first inning with an RBI double to left field.
In the second game, Ellis had two hits, including a seventh-inning single that started the Aggies seventh inning rally that resulted in A&T winning with a walk-off run, 8-7. For the week, Ellis batted .363 (4-for-11) and recorded a .417 on-base percentage with one run and one RBI.
Ellis becomes the second Aggie to win a CAA weekly award this season after Sierra Baldwin won rookie honors on March 7. The Aggies enter the week 8-23 overall and 3-6 in CAA play. They will plat at USC Upstate for a 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 4 doubleheader at the Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
A&T will then take a trip to West Long Branch, N.J., to face the Monmouth Hawks in a three-game CAA series starting on Friday, April 7, with a noon doubleheader at MU Softball Park.
