GREENSBORO – UNC Greensboro got off to a fast start Wednesday afternoon against the North Carolina A&T softball team, hitting two first-inning home runs to defeat the Aggies 13-1 in five innings at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.

Junior Katriel Williams led the Aggies by going 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Aggies dropped 2-9 on the season.

UNCG got a three-run homer from Jorde Chartrand and a two-homer from Rylie Williams in the visitor's first inning to take a 5-0 lead. Betsy Eatmon added a three-RBI triple in the second to give the Spartans an early comfortable lead. Macy Michael later added a grand slam to help the Spartans improve to 12-3.

Junior Megan Ellis (L, 0-3) got the start in the circle for A&T. She was the first of four pitchers for the Aggies as sophomore Aaliyah Willaims, senior Joey Barkhimer and sophomore Lauren Hardy also saw action in the circle. Hardy pitched a scoreless fifth, striking out one UNCG batter.

The Aggies did get one run off UNCG starter Addy Berry (W, 1-0) in the home third. Ellis led off the frame with a single to right center field before Berry earned strikeouts against the next two batters. But Williams hit a clutch two-out triple off the center field fence to score Ellis, cutting the Spartans lead to 8-1.

UNCG posted a five-run fourth to put the game on the brink of ending early. The frame included Michael's home run. The Aggies will return to pre-conference tournament action as they begin play in Western Carolina University's Second Annual Catamount Classic on Friday, February 28 against Presbyterian College at the Catamount Softball Complex at 10 a.m.

Later in the day, the Aggies will face the Catamounts at 3 p.m. The Aggies will face Presbyterian (10 a.m.) and Rhode Island (12 p.m.) on Saturday. A&T's tournament action will conclude with a Sunday 12:30 p.m. game against Western Carolina.