WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – North Carolina A&T got behind early, and the William & Mary Tribe held on for a 7-4 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) baseball win Saturday evening at Plumeri Park.
A&T junior right-handed starter Diego Barrett (L, 1-4) posted six strikeouts, but the Aggies still fell to 19-15 overall and 4-7 in CAA play. Henry Jackson's grand slam home run in the first inning helped W&M improve to 24-11 overall and 7-4 in league play.
After Jackson's homer, Barrett had a pretty easy second, pitching his way around hitting Kevin Francella to open the frame. But the Tribe added two more runs in the third inning to take a 6-0 lead. Luca Trigiani hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center field to score Jerry Barnes III. Francella followed with an RBI single to left before Barrett struck out Josiah Seguin.
The Aggies finally broke through against Tribe right-handed starter Zack Potts (W, 5-2) in the visitor's fourth. Senior infielder Tre Williams reached base on a fielder's choice and later moved to second on a throwing error by Tribe Trigiani at second base. Senior outfielder TJ Ash stepped to the plate and roped an RBI triple to left to score Williams, cutting the Tribe's lead to 6-1.
Barrett pitched a strong fourth before senior RHP Isaiah Brewington entered the game to pitch a scoreless fifth. Seguin extended W&M's lead in the sixth with a solo homer off Brewington. Brewington retired the final two batters he faced to exit the sixth.
A&T made a run at a comeback in the seventh inning as junior catcher Canyon Brown opened the inning with a single. After Brown was eliminated from the base paths because Ash hit into a fielder's choice, senior outfielder Michael Logan put runners at first and second with a single. Potts walked senior infielder Devon Rodriguez to load the bases for junior infielder Enrique Wood.
Wood reached on an error, allowing Logan and Ash to score to cut the deficit to four runs, 7-3. The sequence ended Potts' night as RHP Carter Lovasz (S, 3) entered the game. Lovasz struck out the first batter he faced, Shemar Dalton, before senior Camden Jackson ripped a double down the right field line to score Rodriguez. But the Aggies could not get any closer as Tatsunori Negishi struck out to end the threat.
A&T's pitching was solid for the remainder of the game. RHP Connor Blantz entered the game in the seventh. He pitched two scoreless innings, giving up only one hit and no walks while striking out three. Unfortunately, the Aggies could not mount much offense against Lovasz. He retired the Aggies in order in the eighth and the ninth innings to secure the win for the Tribe.
The series' rubber game is Sunday afternoon at 1.
