TOWSON, Md. – North Carolina A&T's baseball program under head coach Ben Hall has consistently competitive over the 10 seasons he has been in Aggieland., with a conference championship, wins over Power Fives, three MLB Draft picks and five players playing in the minor league system.
On Thursday, Hall captured his 200th career win, all at A&T, as the Aggies defeated the Towson Tigers 8-2 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play at Schuerholz Park. A&T used a lengthy fifth inning to help its head coach secure the milestone he shares with former head coaches Mel "Big 10" Groomes and Keith Shumate.
A&T improved to 25-27 overall and 9-16 in CAA play after senior right-handed starter Coley Kilpatrick (W, 7-3) earned his second complete-game win of the season. Towson dropped to 14-39 overall and 4-20 in league play despite Jordan Peyton going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Kilpatrick, who leads the CAA in complete games, gave up two runs on 10 hits, with three strikeouts and three walks in 141 pitches thrown. A&T trailed early as Jeremy Wagner provided the Tigers with an RBI double in the second inning for a 1-0 Towson lead. The team managed to get out of some challenging situations, with the Tigers stranding six runners over the first four innings.
The Aggies made the Tigers pay in a big way for those missed opportunities in the visitor's fifth. Senior Camden Jackson opened the frame with a single off Towson right-handed starter Andrew Luczak (L, 0-7). After a walk to senior outfielder Michael Logan, senior infielder Devon Rodriguez reached on a bunt single, resulting in a throwing error that allowed Jackson to tie the game at 1-1.
Luczak earned the first out of the inning by striking out freshman Ellis Reid before striking junior Enrique Wood. But a passed ball on Wood's strikeout allowed Wood to reach, advanced Rodriguez to third, and permitted Logan to score to give the Aggies the lead. A walk to graduate Tatsunori Negishi chased Luczak from the game for RHP Max Simpson with the bases loaded.
Senior Tre Williams greeted Simpson with an RBI single to score Rodriguez before Simpson hit junior catcher Canyon Brown with the first pitch of the at-bat to force in a run, giving A&T a 4-1 lead. Senior outfielder TJ Ash followed with a two-run single, scoring Williams and Brown to put the Aggies ahead by five runs.
Jackson, who opened the inning with a single, provided more offense for the Aggies with an RBI single to left field to complete the Aggies seven-run fifth before two strikeouts ended the inning. Peyton got one of those runs back in the home fifth. Wood answered Peyton's homer with a solo shot to left in the visitor's sixth. It marked his fourth home run of the season.
Kilpatrick retired the Tigers in order for the first time in the sixth inning. He did the same in the seventh inning before pitching his way around two Towson singles by striking out Josh Janove to escape the inning without any runs scoring. Kilpatrick returned to his dominant ways by retiring the Tigers in order to secure the win in the ninth inning.
Jackson led the Aggies by going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Wood posted two hits, scored twice, and drove in a run on his homer. The Aggies and the Tigers resume their series on Saturday, with the first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
