JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sophomore right-handed pitcher Brock Duff (W, 1-0) pitched excellent in middle relief duty, and the North Carolina A&T offense got hot once again as the Aggies improved to 2-0 on the road with a 10-5 win over the North Florida Ospreys in non-conference baseball play at Harmon Stadium on Wednesday.
The Black College Nines released their first HBCU top 10 baseball poll on Wednesday, with the Aggies ranked No. 1. They lived up to the billing against the Ospreys, pounding out a season-high 14 hits for the third time this season and improving to 10-2 on the season. The Aggies are off to their best start in modern history, dating back to when the program joined the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in 1971.
A&T's great start can partially be attributed to some hot starts at the plate. Graduate first baseman Tatsunori Negishi has reached base safely in 10 straight games after going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Meanwhile, junior shortstop Enrique Wood improved his hitting streak to six games with a double on Wednesday.
Negishi launched a two-out home run in the first inning, taking UNF right-handed starter Brett Dennis's (L, 0-1) 2-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a 1-0 lead. UNF evened the score at 1-1 with a run in the home first before the Aggies posted three runs in the visitor's third. Negishi got things jumping again with a one-out double down the left field line before a Canyon Brown ground out moved him to third.
Senior outfielder Camden Jackson brought Negishi home with an RBI single to left before senior outfielder TJ Ash put Aggies on third and second with a double. Wood brought both men home with his double that extended his hitting streak to give the Aggies a 4-1 lead.
UNF's third started with A&T starter RHP Avery Cain striking out Connor Moore. He walked Tripp McKinlay, ending his night after 2.1 innings of work in which he gave up four hits and one unearned run while striking out three and walking two.
Duff entered the game and retired the next Osprey batters, including a strikeout. Duff pitched scoreless fourth and fifth innings, followed by a scoreless sixth pitched by junior RHP Justin Poris. Meanwhile, the Aggies took over the game in their half of the fifth. Despite the inning opening with Brown getting caught stealing after singling, the inning still prospered with Jackson getting hit by a pitch, Ash singling, and Wood walking to load the bases with one out.
Senior second baseman Devon Rodriguez scored Jackson on an RBI single. After Ash was picked off third, junior third baseman Isaiah Monge hit a two-run triple to center field to score Wood and Rodriguez to give the Aggies a 7-1 lead. Monge later scored on a wild pitch to push the Aggies lead to seven.
Monge scored again in the eighth as he reached on a one-out single and came home on an RBI triple from junior outfielder Shemar Dalton. Dalton has now reached base safely in eight straight games. Dalton came home on an RBI sacrifice fly from graduate Grayson Preslar to give the Aggies a 10-1 lead.
The Ospreys added two runs in the eighth and two in the ninth, but the game ended when junior RHP Trent Simmons stuck out Cade Bush. Monge went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Brown, Ash, and Rodriguez had two hits apiece. McKinlay had two hits and drove in three runs for the Ospreys.
A&T continues spring break in Florida as it heads to Tampa, Fla., to face South Florida in a three-game series starting Friday.
