BOONE, NC – Appalachian State combined offense with excellent pitching to knock off the North Carolina A&T baseball team 10-0 in seven innings Saturday afternoon at L.P. Frans Stadium, home of the Hickory Crawdads, a minor league Class-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

The Aggies had a strong footing throughout most of the game. A&T started right-handed pitcher Gavin Sentell (L, 0-2). He pitched the first three innings, giving up four hits on two runs while striking out one. The two runs Sentell surrendered in the third came on an error and an RBI single from Joseph Zamora.

RHP Ross Fowler replaced Sentell in the fourth inning and gave up a run on a throwing error to give the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Aggies struggled to string together an offensive threat throughout the game. Their biggest threat came in the first inning when junior Marcus Bradshaw led off the game with a single. Bradshaw stole second before sophomore Boaz Harper struck out for the first out of the inning.

Sophomore JT Taylor grounded out for the second out before Bradshaw moved to third on a wild pitch by RHP Gage Peterson. Peterson then walked sophomore Tyler Smith to put Aggies on the corner with two outs. However, sophomore Bruce Wyche struck out to end the threat. App State finally blew the game open in the sixth with a six-run inning.

The two biggest blows in the inning came from Charlie Evans and Drew DuPont. Evans hit a two-run single to center and DuPont connected on a three-run double. App State added another in the seventh on a Steven Smith homer to ignite the 10-run rule that gives the team with a 10-run lead or more after seven innings played.

The Aggies will play again on Sunday, heading to Charlotte to face Queens University at 1 p.m. at The Stick Williams Dreams Field.