GREENSBORO – Elon homered three times in the visitor's fifth inning to earn a 14-1 win over the North Carolina A&T softball team in five innings Saturday afternoon at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
The loss drops A&T to 10-33 overall and 2-18 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Aggies did get a 2-for-2 day from sophomore Destiny Sims. Sims also scored A&T's only run. Meanwhile, Elon got a six-RBI game from Kaitlyn Wells to improve to 24-15 overall and 16-4 in league play.
Before the game, the Aggies honored the 1979 A&T softball team, which won the North Carolina Association for Intercollegiate Athletes for Women (NCAIAW) Division I state championship. The team beat in-state schools like N.C. State, Appalachian State, East Carolina, and UNC Greensboro to win the title.
The A&T Department of Intercollegiate Athletics honored the '79 team with a championship banner in left field. Loir "Lil'-Lo" Kirk, a member of the 1979 team, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
After the festivities, Elon took an early 2-0 lead in the first against A&T freshman starter Lauren Hardy (L, 4-4) thanks to an RBI single from Chloe Hatzopoulos and a throwing error. Elon added four more runs in the second inning behind an RBI single from Great Hessenthaler and a three-run home run from Wells, giving the Phoenix a 6-0 lead.
The Aggies did get on the board in the fourth inning. Sims earned a one-out single off Elon starter Taylor Cherry (W, 5-4). Freshman Ayanna Mears followed with a single before Cherry loaded the bases by walking sophomore Trinity Glover. Cherry also walked freshman Jaden James, forcing in a run as Sims crossed the plate.
Elon turned to Anna Dew in the circle. Dew earned back-to-back strikes to end the Aggies threat. Elon then put the game away by scoring seven runs in the fifth inning, putting itself in a position to end the game early on the run rule. A&T went down in order in the fifth to give the Phoenix a 2-0 lead in the series with the series finale scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
