GREENSBORO – Over the weekend, the North Carolina A&T and Delaware baseball teams scored tons of runs during a three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) series at War Memorial Stadium.
After the Blue Hens captured Game 1 on Friday and won the first game of a doubleheader against the Aggies on Saturday, 9-8, A&T finally took advantage of scoring multiple runs with an 11-6 win during the second game of the doubleheader.
The two teams played the doubleheader on Saturday to avoid potential inclement weather on Sunday. After losing two out of three to the Blue Hens, the Aggies are 21-18 overall and 5-10 in league play. The Blue Hens improved to 20-18 overall and 8-7 in the CAA.
The two teams combined to score 53 runs and generate 73 hits over the three-game series. After losing a tough Game 1 on Saturday, the Aggies opened Game 2 by taking a 4-0 lead. Junior catcher Canyon Brown drove in the first runs in the third inning with a two-run RBI single down the left line. Freshman Ellis Reed helped the Aggies add two more runs in the fourth with a two-run double.
A&T junior right-handed starter Diego Barrett pitched three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, striking out two, and walking two. Sophomore RHP Carter Daniels pitched two scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit, walking one, and striking out one. But in a series filled with runs, Delaware's scoreless streak ended in the Blue Hens' sixth.
Delaware got a two-run homer from Tyler Leach and a three-run shot from Aaron Graeber off senior RHP Jake Delisi. The Blue Hens also got a run from an RBI double off the bat of Joey Loynd to complete the six-run sixth and take a 6-4 lead. But after giving up 13 unanswered runs on Friday to the Blue Hens, the Aggies returned the favor on Saturday in Game 2.
The Aggies scored seven unanswered runs to end the game, starting with a solo home run by senior designated hitter Camden Jackson in the home sixth. A&T followed that with a four-run seventh inning as senior infielder Tre Williams opened the frame with a double, followed by an RBI double from Brown to tie the game at 6-6. Delaware turned to LHP Carter Welch (L, 0-2).
Welch walked graduate Grayson Preslar before surrendering a two-run double down the left-field line to senior outfielder TJ Ash, giving the Aggies an 8-6 lead. Ash moved to third on an Enrique Wood groundout before eventually scoring on a passed ball to give the Aggies a three-run advantage. A&T added two more runs in the eighth off an RBI single from Brown and an RBI sacrifice fly to left from Ash to take an 11-6 lead going into the ninth.
A&T freshman LHP Stirling Thomas (W, 1-0) gave up a one-out double in the ninth, but he got Chris Dengler to fly out and Aaron Graeber grounded out to end the game. Thomas went 3.1 innings, giving up no runs on three hits, striking out six and walking two.
Brown led the Aggies by going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Tatsunori Negiishi went 3-for-5, scoring twice, and Ash drove in three runs and posted two hits. Reid also drove in two runs. Brown also had an excellent Game 1, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Williams and junior Chet Sikes scored two runs apiece, and senior infielder Devon Rodriguez had a 2-for-4 Game 1 with an RBI.
A&T started the game with junior RHP Angel Ortiz, who pitched the first 4.1 innings. He gave up a three-run homer to Loynd, giving the Blue Hens a 6-3 lead. After walking Andrew Amato, RHP Connor Blantz (L, 1-2) replaced Ortiz, struck out Graeber, and got Aidan Kane to fly out.
In the home fifth, the Aggies reclaimed the lead. Delaware LHP Tyler August walked Williams to open the frame. One batter later, Brown singled, followed by a walk to Ash. August then hit Sikes with the first pitch of the at-bat with the bases loaded, forcing in Williams to cut Delaware's lead to 6-4. Brown scored on a passed ball before Jackson's two-run single gave the Aggies a 7-6 advantage, leading to the Blue Hens replacing August with LHP Eli Atiya (W, 3-2). Atiya gave up a double to Rodriguez but was bailed out when Jackson was thrown out at home.
Delaware added a run apiece in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings to take a 9-7 lead. But Williams brought the Aggies to within one by leading off the ninth with a solo home run. It led to LHP Anthony Gubitosi (S, 4) entering the game. He walked Brown before walking Ash to put the winning run at first. But Gubitosi settled in, striking out Sikes and Jackson to end the game.
A&T returns to midweek action on Tuesday when it travels to Davidson to face the Wildcats at 6 p.m.
