CLEMSON, SC – Five games into the 2025 season and the North Carolina A&T baseball team is 2-3, but the youthful Aggies have looked the competitive part in each game. That continued Sunday during the final day of the Clemson Invitational at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
The Aggies lost to the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams during the morning game before losing to eighth-ranked and tournament-host Clemson later in the evening. The Rams had to put together a three-run ninth to defeat the Aggies 6-3.
Meanwhile, the Tigers needed a go-ahead run in the seventh and an insurance run in the eighth to earn a 4-2 win over A&T. On Saturday, the Aggies took a three-run lead against the Tigers before losing 12-7.
Senior Enrique Wood, senior Kristian Amaro and freshman Tyler Smith had two hits against the Rams. The Aggies also got a quality start from junior right-hander Matt Murtagh. He went six strong, giving up two runs, none of them earned, while giving up three hits, striking out three and not surrendering a walk.
The Rams scored two unearned against Murtagh in the third before the Aggies broke through on VCU RHP starter Miles Garrett in the home fifth. Amaro led off the frame with a single before moving to third on consecutive wild pitches from Garrett. The wild pitches set up freshman Savoi Edwards's RBI single to left-center field. It also led to Garrett's departure from the game as the Rams replaced him with LHP Max Moore.
Moore ended the inning by striking out Luis Gomez and getting Nick DiCarlo to ground out to end the frame. But the Aggies were not done.
Three straight singles led to the Aggies loading the bases with zero outs. VCU got two quick outs when senior AJ Jones hit into a double play. Despite the twin killing, Wood scored from third to tie the game 2-2 before the inning ended on an Amaro line out.
VCU regained the lead in the visitor's seventh by scoring on an error against Aggies senior right-hander Jacob Halford (L, 0-1). However, a two-out double by DiCarlo in the A&T seventh led to the Rams replacing Moore with RHP Owen Tappy (W, 2-0). Wood secured an RBI single off Tappy to tie the game 3-3.
A&T had a chance to take the lead in the eighth as Jones connected on a two-out single to center. Freshman JT Taylor put runners on first and second. Amaro then singled to right, but Jones was thrown out trying to score, ending the A&T threat.
VCU's big ninth inning got a boost with a two-run single from Spencer Sullivan. Trent Adelman added another run with an RBI single to give the Rams a 6-3 lead.
But Tappy found himself in trouble again in the ninth. The Aggies put the tying run at the plate with no outs after Tinsley and Gomez reached on singles. But DiCarlo flied out to right, Wood struck out and Wyche hit into a fielder's choice to end the game. VCU improved to 2-5.
Later in the day, the Aggies saw Clemson take a 2-0 lead into the visitor's seventh behind the arm of LHP Justin LeGuernic. LHP Hudson Lee replaced LeGuernic to open the seventh, and the Aggies took advantage. Tinsley reached on an error with two outs before Lee hit DiCarlo with a pitch to put Aggies on first and second.
Clemson replaced Lee with RHP Chance Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald gave up a two-run double to Wood to tie the game at 2. RHP Joe Allen (W, 1-0) replaced Fitzgerald and struck out Smith to end the visitor's seventh.
But the Tigers reclaimed the lead when Dominic Listi hit an RBI double off RHP Gavin Sentell (L, 1-1) in the home seventh. They added another run in the eighth on an RBI sacrifice fly from Jarren Purify to give Clemson a 4-2 lead. A&T put the tying run on in the ninth after Tinsley singled, but the Aggies could not get those runs across.
Smith led the way during the three-day invitational for A&T, going 4-for-8 (.500) with a double and a run scored. Amaro had four hits in 12 at-bats, including a double and two RBIs, and Tinsley went 3-for-10 (.300) with a home run.
The Aggies return to action on Wednesday with a makeup game against the University of North Carolina at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC starting at 4 p.m.
