TAMPA, Fla. – North Carolina A&T had an impressive bounce-back win on Sunday, defeating the University of South Florida Bulls 13-1 in non-conference baseball play at USF Baseball Stadium.
A&T avoided its first series sweep of the season after losing the first two games in Tampa on late-inning offensive outbursts by the Bulls. The Aggies, who improved to 11-4 on the season, did not let it come to that on Sunday. They scored early and late, produced 13 hits, and played error-free baseball defensively.
Juniors Enrique Wood and Shemar Dalton remained hot offensively. Wood extended his hitting streak to nine games, the longest by any Aggie this season. Dalton reached base safely on Sunday, marking the 11th straight game he accomplished the feat. That is also a season-best for any A&T Aggie.
The Aggies took a 7-1 lead over the first four innings and chased USF right-handed starter Matt Brown (L, 1-2) from the game after one and two-third innings. Junior catcher Canyon Brown got the Aggies on the board in the first with an RBI single to center field after senior Michael Logan and graduate Tatsunori Negishi singled ahead of him. Two more runs went on the board in the second inning.
Senior second baseman Devon Rodriguez singled up the middle to score TJ Ash, who walked on four straight pitches to reach base. Dalton also singled to center, scoring Wood, who was hit by a Brown pitch. Wood added an RBI double to his outstanding series to give the Aggies a 4-1 lead in the third. Negishi put an exclamation point on the Aggies' early-game fun with a three-run blast to right-center field for his second home run of the season.
On Saturday, the Aggies grabbed a 5-1 lead over the first three innings, only to see the Bulls rally to win 12-7. Sunday would not present that problem.
Sophomore right-hander Evan Hart (W, 3-0) and graduate RHP Avery Cain (S, 1) combined to pitch brilliantly for the Aggies. Hart started the game and went five innings, surrendering one run on five hits, five walks, and striking out five. Cain pitched four scoreless innings of relief, surrendering three hits, one walk and striking out five.
A&T's offense also heated up again in the eighth and ninth innings. Senior outfielder TJ Ash led off the eighth with a double, followed by a single from Wood. USF turned to RHP Nick Pineda. But Wood stole second, and Rodriguez greeted Pineda with a two-run single to right. After Dalton reached on a fielder's choice to eliminate Rodriguez from the base paths, Dalton moved to second on a passed ball.
He scored on a throwing error by USF third baseman Stewart Puckett to give the Aggies a 10-1 lead. Wood closed out the game's scoring with a three-run homer to right field. Wood hit his second home run of the series and his second of the season. After giving up a leadoff single in the ninth, Avery closed out the game by striking out the next two batters and getting Dawson Mock to fly out to right field.
Five Aggies had multiple-hit games led by Wood, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs. Dalton, Logan, Ash and Rodriguez had two hits apiece, with Ash recording two doubles. The Aggies have a home midweek game against Davidson at War Memorial Stadium on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before a three-game series at home against George Mason, March 15-17.
