HEMPSTEAD, NY – North Carolina A&T's season came to a heartbreaking end on Monday in the first round of the 2023 CAA Softball Championship Tournament at Bill Edwards Stadium on the campus of Hofstra University. Towson designated player Addie Ferguson hit a walk-off RBI single to lead the fifth-seeded Tigers to a 3-2 win over the eighth-seeded Aggies, playing in their first-ever CAA tournament game.
The Tigers improved to 27-23 and will advance to play Elon at noon on Wednesday. The Aggies will see their season end at 17-34. They went 10-14 in conference play and qualified for the CAA tournament after not qualifying for the Big South Conference tournament last season by only winning three conference games. The Aggies made vast improvements despite having three head coaches in the past four months.
A&T starter Sharla Kirkpatrick looked poised to advance the Aggies beyond the first round. She held the Tigers without a run over their first four at-bats. Senior Kayla Douglas replaced Kirkpatrick to start the fifth but gave up a bunt single to left fielder Elizabeth Yoskowitz and walked center fielder Briana Ramirez to open the frame.
Kirkpatrick returned to the circle and retired the next three batters she faced to get the Aggies out of the jam. Kirkpatrick's A&T teammates assisted her by grabbing the lead in the third inning. Shortstop Makayla Layton doubled down the left field line to open the inning. After a Sierra Baldwin ground out, an error by Towson third baseman Ally Hickman allowed Layton to score and right fielder Latianna Langley to reach.
But the Aggies' threat ended when second baseman Alyxx Estrada popped out, and center fielder Jai Deese fouled out. But the Aggies posted another run in the fifth to give the Aggies more of a cushion, as Layton found herself involved in another rally. Towson starter Madison Gardner (W, 14-7) walked Layton to open the inning. Two batters later, with one out, Baldwin sacrificed her to second. That set up Estrada's two-out RBI single through the left side to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.
A&T maintained that lead until the Towson sixth. After Cara Bohner singled and Kristin Toland walked, Hickman earned redemption from her earlier error by hitting a two-run triple to right field to tie the game at 2. This time, Kirkpatrick would be replaced for good after giving up the triple. Joey Barkhimer (L, 4-11) entered the game and retired the first two Tigers she faced helping the Aggies escape the inning without any further damage.
But after the Aggies went down in order in their seventh, Mackenzie Lake hit a one-out single to center. Barkhimer responded by striking out Madyson Peters for the second out of the inning as extra innings loomed. But Lake stole second base, leading to Ferguson game-winning single to right on a 2-1 pitch to advance the Tigers.
Freshman Katriel Williams went 2-for-3, and Layton scored both of A&T's runs. Lake went 2-for-4 and scored the game-winning run. The Aggies celebrated six seniors on Sunday, but they expect to have some impressive young players return, including second-team All-CAA pitcher/utility player Megan Ellis. Williams also showed promise late in the season, going 13-for-23 (.565) with four runs scored and three RBI in her final seven games.
Barkhimer and Kirkpatrick are expected to step back into the circle for A&T, and the Aggies could get an offensive boost from the return of Dezianna Patmon and Estrada. Patmon is a career .310 hitter with 15 doubles, 11 homer runs, 35 RBI, and a .508 slugging percentage. Estrada is a career .282 hitter with 65 runs scored, 19 doubles, and a .395 on-base percentage. She was second in the CAA this season in stolen bases (21).
