JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – North Carolina A&T took an early lead Friday night against the Jacksonville University Dolphins in non-conference baseball competition, but the Dolphins took over the game from there, beating the Aggies 13-2 in seven innings at John Sessions Stadium.
The Aggies dropped to 3-8 overall after producing only two hits off Dolphins right-handed starter Richard Long (W, 3-1). Long pitched all seven innings, striking out five and walking one.
Despite his strong pitching performance, Long walked A&T's senior leadoff batter, AJ Jones, on five pitches to open the game. An error allowed Jones to reach second, while freshman Tyler Smith reached on a fielder's choice.
Both men advanced on a Long wild pitch to move into scoring position. Freshman JT Taylor grounded out to second but earned an RBI as Jones scored from third to give the Aggies a 1-0 advantage.
Freshman Bruce Wyche popped out before freshman designated hitter Savoi Edwards connected on an RBI double to score Smith for a 2-0 A&T lead. Junior Andrew Tinsley hit a fly ball out to left to end the A&T threat.
A&T senior RHP and starter Angel Ortiz (L, 2-2) pitched a solid first inning. He gave up a one-out single to Jonah Shields but quickly recovered to strike out Josh Steidl. He walked Blake Delamielleure to put runners at first and second before Chandler Howard grounded out to get A&T out of the jam.
But the Dolphins capitalized on their opportunities in the home second. Cade Hentz had a two-run RBI double, and Jaden Bastian added a two-run single to aid in the Dolphins scoring six runs in the second to take a 6-2 lead. Shields helped the Dolphins score two more runs in the third with a two-run single.
After scoring a run in the fourth, Jacksonville closed things out with a big four-run sixth inning. Hentz went 4-for-4 for the Dolphins, including two doubles, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Bastian went 2-fo-5 with a double and three RBI.
The three-game series was initially scheduled for a Game 2 on Saturday, and Sunday afternoon would mark the series finale. However, because of the expected inclement weather in the area, the two teams will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday to conclude the series.
