EAST GREENSBORO – Junior pitcher Sharla Kirkpatrick played a pivotal role in helping the North Carolina A&T softball team earn a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Softball Championship Tournament over the weekend.
Therefore, Kirkpatrick earned CAA pitcher of the week accolades as the conference announced its weekly softball superlatives on Monday. Kirkpatrick was 1-0 in the circle and picked up a save in 9.0 innings of work, helping A&T to a series win over the Hampton Pirates. The Aggies took two of three from their traditional HBCU rival, with Sunday's 4-0 win making the Aggies the seventh CAA team to earn a spot in the postseason. The top eight CAA teams make the tournament, which will be hosted by Hofstra University, May 9-13, at Bill Edwards Stadium in Hempstead, NY.
In Sunday's game, Kirkpatrick tossed her first career complete-game shutout, leading the Aggies to a win in the series rubber match. It came after a two-inning save the day before, the first save of her career. Kirkpatrick did not allow an earned run across her two appearances, scattering six hits and striking out four.
The Aggies have won four of their seven CAA series this season. Kirkpatrick's honor marks the sixth time an Aggies softball player has earned a CAA weekly honor this season. Last week, Kayla Douglas secured co-pitcher of the week. The other Aggies to win weekly softball honors are Sierra Baldwin (rookie of the week, 3/7), Megan Ellis (rookie of the week, 4/3), Jai Deese (player of the week, 4/10) and Joey Barkhimer (co-pitcher of the week, 4/10).
A&T will host Piedmont rival and CAA foe Elon University at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex, May 5-6, to close the regular season before heading to New York. The series will start with a 3 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and conclude with a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
