GREENSBORO – For the second straight game, the North Carolina A&T baseball team had something brewing in the ninth inning but still came up short. It happened again on Wednesday night in A&T's 4-3 loss to the UNC Greensboro Spartans at the UNCG Baseball Stadium.

On Monday, the Aggies' come-from-behind attempt fell short against Northern Illinois University in a 6-5 loss, where the Aggies left three men on base in the bottom of the ninth. Against the Spartans, the Aggies started roaring back from a three-run deficit starting in the visitors' eighth inning.

UNCG opened the eighth with right-handed pitcher Luke Thomas on the mound. Thomas hit sophomore Reginald Tuggle III with a 2-2 pitch before striking out junior Marcus Bradshaw. But sophomore JT Taylor singled to right to put Aggies on first and second for one of the Aggies top sluggers from last season, sophomore Tyler Smith.

Smith roped his third double of the season down the left field line, scoring Tuggle and Taylor and cutting the Spartans' lead to 4-3. Smith, unfortunately, was eliminated on the base paths at second base on a Bruce Wyche groundball to shortstop. UNCG replaced Thomas with LHP Thomas Hester (S, 1) after the second out of the inning, and Hester ended A&T's threat with a strikeout, sending the game into the home eighth.

RHP Jason Johnson opened the bottom of the eighth on the mound. After retiring the first two Spartans he faced, Johnson surrendered back-to-back walks, leading to graduate right-hander Ross Fowler entering the game. Fowler walked the bases loaded before striking out Jake Mueller to keep the Aggies down only one going into the ninth.

Sophomore Boaz Harper quickly put the go-ahead run at first base with a single through the right side. However, Hester struck out the next two batters he faced before the game ended on a Tuggle groundout, dropping the Aggies to 1-3 on the young season. Sophomore RHP Jordan Bright (L, 0-1) started Wednesday's game for the Aggies.

Bright pitched 2.1 innings, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out three. He left the game in the third inning with one out and the bases loaded. Graduate RHP Kobie Cushing entered the game and gave up an RBI sacrifice fly to Landon Polk to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. The Aggies finally broke through against UNCG starter and RHP Isaac Miles (W, 1-0) in the sixth inning.

Taylor made his way around the bases after a leadoff double. Smith moved him to second on a groundout before Wyche scored him on another groundout, cutting the Spartans' lead to 2-1. UNCG added a run in its half of the sixth, setting up the late-inning drama.

Smith had two doubles and drove in two runs. Taylor went 2-for-4, including a double and two runs scored. Jake Mueller led the Spartans by going 2-for-3. The Aggies are scheduled to play back-to-back games against Appalachian State at two different facilities. A&T will face App State on Friday, February 20, at 2 p.m. at Beaver Field and Bettie Smith Stadium.

On Saturday, the two teams will play at the home of the Hickory Crawdads, Single-A affiliate of the MLB's Texas Rangers. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at L.P. Frans Stadium.