GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T lost a crazy seesaw affair 14-12 in the first game of a baseball doubleheader against the Akron Zips on Saturday at War Memorial Stadium.
A&T's comeback effort in Game 2 fell short in a 6-4 loss to the Zips. The Aggies dropped to 2-7 overall after Saturday's action. The Zips approved 4-6. The two teams played two games in one day because rain in the Triad area wreaked havoc on the field conditions at The War on Friday. The series finale is at The War on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Aggies returned to action on Saturday with their bats working. Senior Nick DiCarlo led the way, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Junior Marcus Bradshaw also had a monster game, going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Akron had some impressive offensive numbers as well, led by Easton Amundson's 2-for-5 day that included four RBIs and two runs scored.
Graduate right-handed pitcher Diego Barrett made the start for A&T and gave up a run in the top of the first before his offense started cranking in the bottom half. After a double by Marcus Bradshaw and a walk to junior Boaz Harper, sophomore JT Taylor singled through the left side to score Bradshaw, tying the game 1-1.
RHP Samuel Guadamuz, Akron's starter on Saturday, then hit sophomore Bruce Wyche with a 1-0 pitch after striking out sophomore Tyler Smith for the first out of the inning. The hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for senior Andrew Tinsley, whose RBI groundout scored Harper to give the Aggies a lead that the two teams exchanged several times throughout the game.
DiCarlo's clutch two-out RBI single to right kept the rally going, however, scoring Taylor and Wyche to give the Aggies a 4-1 lead before a Reginald Tuggle III groundout ended the frame. Akron regained command of the game with a run in the second before posting a big number on the scoreboard with a seven-run third to take a 9-4 lead. Another run in the fourth extended that lead to six before the Aggies came roaring back.
The Aggies loaded the bases in the fourth with one out, which led to an RBI single from Harper before the Zips replaced Guadamuz with RHP Landon Vandegrift. But Vandergrift was hurt by an error on a Taylor groundball that allowed freshman Sam Schwamb to score to cut Akron's lead to 10-6. Smith added an RBI groundout before Wyche ripped an RBI double to right center to score Harper and Taylor to bring the Aggies to within one at 10-9.
A run in the visitors' fifth put Akron ahead by two runs before the Aggies regained the lead in the bottom half, thanks to a three-run blast from Bradshaw, putting the Aggies ahead 12-11. Junior RHP Aiden Hansen kept the Zips off the board in the sixth before Zips RHP Brady Bowen (W, 1-0) entered in the home sixth and kept the Aggies from scoring.
The game turned in the Zips' seventh when sophomore LHP James Van Meter (L, 0-1) found himself in a bases-loaded situation with no outs. A&T turned to junior RHP Jason Johnson to try to prevent the Zips from taking advantage, but Johnson walked Brennan Morgan after taking the count to 3-2, forcing in a run to tie the game 12-12. An RBI sacrifice fly by Amundson gave the Zips the lead for good, and they were able to add an insurance run when Morgan got caught in a rundown that allowed Blake Bowen to score for a 14-12 lead.
After Bowen set the Aggies down in order in the seventh and eighth innings, the Aggies did put the tying run on base in the ninth, but Tuggle flew out to right to end the game. Harper added a 2-for-3 afternoon for the Aggies, and Tinsley added two hits.
Wyche provided a 3-for-4 Game 2 for the Aggies, and Smith went 2-for-5. A&T trailed 5-0 going into the home sixth inning against RHP Elijah Griffith (W, 2-0). A&T loaded the bases with one out after a pitch hit Taylor, Smith singled, and a pitch hit Wyche. Tinsley responded with an RBI single to score Taylor, but the Zips recorded the second out in the inning after catching Smith in a rundown.
A&T loaded the bases again after Griffith walked DiCarlo, leading to RHP Josiah Ross entering the game. Ross walked Tuggle and senior Kristian Amaro, forcing in two runs to cut Akron's lead to 5-3, leading to LHP John Allen entering the game. He hit Bradshaw with a 3-2 pitch to force in another run before Harper fouled out to end the inning.
Akron put up another run in its ninth before RHP Taylor Bednar (S,1) entered the game in the bottom half. Wyche singled with one out to put the tying run on first before Bednar got Tinsley to strike out and DiCarlo to ground out to end the game. Sophomore right-hander Jordan Bright (L, 1-3) made the start for A&T.
