GREENSBORO – The North Carolina A&T Aggies had an amazing offensive game in Game 1 of a Saturday doubleheader against the South Carolina State University (SCSU) Bulldogs, winning 8-1 during A&T's home opener at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.

The Aggies then took advantage of some Bulldogs' mistakes to win 10-2 in six innings in Game 2. The doubleheader sweep helped the Aggies improve to 9-11. The Aggies played their home opener so late in the season because their originally scheduled home opener against Western Carolina on February 11 was moved to Cullowhee, NC, due to a snowstorm that made field conditions unfit to play on at the LASC.

Junior Devin Long (W, 2-3) led the way with a complete-game three-hitter, where she allowed no earned runs, did not walk a batter, and posted six strikeouts. Sophomore Tyra Robinson helped with the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Sophomore Aniya Merritt went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Junior Jamari Moss recorded three RBIs and doubled, while senior Katriel Williams went 3-for-3 with an RBI.  

SCSU took an early lead in the first inning by scoring an unearned run before the Aggies got going in the bottom half of the first inning. With runners at second and third, Moss grounded out to score junior Shandi Brown, who reached on a single. Robinson followed with an RBI single to give the Aggies a 2-1 lead. Katriel Williams added another run for A&T in the third with an RBI single, scoring Robinson, who reached on a double.

The Aggies continued to shine offensively in the fourth with four runs. After sophomore Ayanna Mears scored on an error, Merritt produced an RBI single to score freshman Hailey Darkwa, who reached on a single. Moss delivered the big blow with a two-run double to score Brown, who reached on the error, and Merritt, to give the Aggies an 8-1 advantage.

Long took care of things in the circle. Long retired eight straight batters from the third through the sixth innings, giving up a single to Jamaria Charley in the visitors' sixth to break the streak. She gave up a leadoff single in the seventh before setting down SCSU batters in order from there. Audrey Dent (L, 2-1) made the start for the Bulldogs.

Lashea Morlu (L, 0-1) started the second game for SCSU. She gave up four runs over two innings, all unearned. Freshman Maliyah Alexander (W, 1-3) started at pitcher for the Aggies in Game 2 and tossed the first three innings. She recorded four strikeouts and allowed one run before Aaliyah Williams, who also recorded four strikeouts, entered the game to close out the game.

Moss went 2-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run. It gives Moss six homers on the season, which leads the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). Meanwhile, Mears recorded three RBIs.

SCSU started Game 2 much like the first, scoring in the first. Dallas Hill provided the Bulldogs with an RBI double to give SCSU a 1-0 lead. Again, the Aggies responded immediately in their half of the first with four runs aided by two SCSU errors. Freshman Taniyah Thomas and Mears each provided an RBI by walking with the bases loaded. Junior Trinity Glover reached on an error to add two more runs, giving A&T a 4-1 advantage.

 The Aggies had another big inning in the third with Glover hitting a three-run homer to give A&T a 7-1 lead. SCSU's Alyssa Standford hit a solo home run at the top of the fourth inning, but the Aggies had an answer when another bases-loaded walk led to another run. Moss's homer came in the sixth, and Mears added an RBI single to close out the scoring.

The Aggies will return to the field Sunday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at the LASC.