GREENSBORO – A super young North Carolina A&T baseball team managed to belt out a combined two home runs, seven doubles and five triples in a doubleheader sweep of the Delaware State Hornets, 12-3 and 14-4, during Opening Day at War Memorial Stadium on Friday.
The two teams played a twin bill because of inclement weather moving into the Greensboro area on Saturday. The two former Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) baseball programs will try to complete the series finale on Sunday at 3 p.m. from The War.
Seniors AJ Jones and Enrique Wood and freshmen JT Taylor and Tyler Smith had a combined four hits on Friday. Taylor's day included three triples and five RBIs, while Jones and Wood had two hits apiece. Smith also homered in Game 1 for his first career four-bagger.
Freshman Bruce Wyche had a 3-for-7 day with four runs scored and three RBIs, and he secured his first career homer in Game 2. Despite A&T's offensive dominance, the Hornets led first in both games.
RBI singles from Santino Harwood and Hassan Turner in the visitors' second inning in Game 1 gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead off A&T senior right-hand starter Angel Ortiz (W, 1-0). But the Aggies were able to rough up Hornets starter and RHP Michael Lane (L, 0-1) in the third.
After Lane gave up a leadoff walk to junior Nick DiCarlo, Wood singled to set up Wyche's first career RBI as he ripped a single through the left side to score DiCarlo to cut the Hornets lead to 2-1. A fielding error allowed Wood to score to tie the game at 2-2. Tyler Smith reached on a fielder's choice on the play but was caught stealing as Wyche advanced to third.
With two outs in the frame, Lane walked Jones before unleashing a wild pitch to allow Wyche to score to give the Aggies the lead for good. Taylor tripled home Jones for a 4-2 A&T advantage before Taylor capped off the scoring in the third by scoring on a wild pitch.
Delaware State did get a run back in the sixth inning to cut A&T's lead to 5-3. But A&T posted seven runs over the seventh and eighth innings to break the game open.
Ortiz finished Game 1 with five strikeouts. Junior RHP Evan Hart, returning from an injury last season, pitched a frame, giving up a run. Senior RHP Diego Barrett pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two. Junior College transfer and RHP Sean Duke pitched a scoreless ninth.
Junior RHP Gavin Sentell (W, 1-0) pitched 4.2 innings of relief to secure the win after Game 2 starter, freshman RHP Mekai Griffin ran into some early trouble after giving up a run in the first and putting two Hornets on base in the second via a walk and hit by pitch.
He did settle in to strike out Turner, but a wild pitch and a walk to Brandon Boyd ended his evening. Sentell stepped in and got Jaryn Sample to hit into a double play to end the Hornets threat.
A&T slowly built its lead from there. A run apiece in the second and third innings gave the Aggies a 2-1 lead. An RBI triple from Taylor and an RBI sacrifice fly from junior Andrew Tinsley increased the Aggies lead to 4-1 before an RBI sac fly from Taylor gave the Aggies a four-run lead in the sixth.
Delaware State rallied in the seventh inning as a bases-loaded clearing RBI double from Brady Daniels cut A&T's lead to 5-4.
The good times did not last long for the Hornets, however. A&T had an emphatic response with a seven-run home seventh that included a two-run double from Jones and a two-run single from Woods. Sophomore Ellis Reed and sophomore Jason Campo added RBIs in the eighth as the Aggies totaled 26 hits on Friday.
A&T chased Delaware Starter Eddie De Valle (L, 0-1) after he pitched five innings, striking out four and walking two.
