GREENSBORO – The middle innings were not kind to the North Carolina A&T baseball team on Saturday, resulting in an 11-5 loss to the College of Charleston Cougars at War Memorial Stadium.
Freshman Savoi Edwards blasted a three-run homer, but the Aggies dropped to 15-33 overall and 9-14 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). The Cougars produced four doubles, winning their fifth straight to improve to 30-19 overall and 12-11 in league play.
The day started wonderfully as a few A&T players graduated earlier in the day as a part of A&T's commencement ceremonies at First Horizon Coliseum. Graduation pushed the game's start time back. Thus, the evening started wonderfully for the Aggies as well.
After hitting a leadoff double for the Aggies in the first inning on Friday, A&T's freshman leadoff batter, Bruce Wyche, blasted a solo home run to ignite the Aggies offense in the first frame on Saturday. A&T junior right-handed starter Gavin Sentell (L, 1-9) held the Cougars scoreless over their first two innings.
However, in the third inning, Alex LaCoste moved around the bases on a single, a bunt sacrifice, a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Darian Pendegrass to tie the game 1-1. Charleston added a run in the visitors' fourth on an RBI single from Will Baumhofer to give the Cougars a 2-1 advantage. But the Cougars pulled away in the fifth.
Pendegrass worked a one-out walk before Ethan Plyler followed with a single. Landon Penfield brought Pendegrass home on a single, moving Plyler to third on the play. The Aggies turned to senior RHP Jacob Halford to replace freshman RHP Taili Thompson, who replaced Sentell in the fourth inning.
Halford appeared to have done his job when Dylan Johnson hit a routine groundball to shortstop, which looked like a potential inning-ending double play. But instead, on the exchange from the glove to the throwing hand, the ball was mishandled. Freshman JT Taylor tried to recover and throw out Johnson, but it was too late.
Johnson reached safely, Penfield advanced to second and Plyler scored to put the Cougars ahead 4-1. Charleston took advantage of the mishap. Baumhofer's RBI single and Avery Neaves' two-run RBI double gave the Cougars a 7-1 lead. Meanwhile, the Aggies had trouble getting going against RHP Daniel Brooks (W, 6-3).
Brooks pitched 6.1 innings, giving up four hits, three walks, and striking out nine. The Cougars added two more runs in the sixth inning and another two in the seventh to take an 11-1 lead into the home seventh.
The Aggies got to Brooks in the seventh. Edwards walked and moved to second on an Enrique Wood sac bunt. Senior Kristian Amaro then roped a single to right field, leading to Edwards trying to score. The throw from right field beat Edwards, but Edwards maneuvered himself around Charleston catcher Dylan Johnson to slide in safely. The umpire initially called Edwards out, but after reviewing the play on replay, the call was reversed.
After Edwards' masterful slide, Brooks walked DiCarlo, leading to the Cougars turning to RHP Kevin Samonsky. Sophomore Jason Campo singled to center field off Samonsky to load the bases before the rally ended on a double play.
Edwards hit a three-run homer in the eighth to bring the Aggies to within six, 11-5. But Charleston's RHP Davis Aiken struck out Taylor in the ninth to end the game. Plyler led the Cougars by going 3-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI. Amaro led the Aggies by going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Amaro and nine other A&T seniors will be honored on Sunday's Senior Day from The War. Senior Day festivities will begin at 12:30 p.m., and the third game of A&T and Charleston's three-game series will start at 1 p.m.
