GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T's softball doubleheader against archrival North Carolina Central University (NCCU) on Wednesday afternoon at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex had plenty of excitement and twists and turns, but in the end, the Aggies secured the sweep with a 10-5 win in Game 1 and a 10-3 win in Game 2.
The Aggies improved to 13-15 as they hope to use Wednesday's action to prepare to host UNC Wilmington in a three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) series at LASC starting on Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m. The NCCU Eagles dropped to 1-21 after the doubleheader sweep. Junior Jamari Moss had a big day. In the two games combined, she had a double, a home run and five RBIs. Sophomore Aniya Merritt improved her team-leading batting average to .417 by going a combined 4-for-6 with two runs scored. Senior Camryn Caldwell added three base hits over two games.
In Game 1, the Aggies benefited from four NCCU errors in the home first inning to score four runs and take a 5-1 lead. NCCU starter Madeline Janssen (L, 0-10) settled in from there, keeping the Aggies from scoring until the home sixth inning. In the meantime, junior Aaliyah Willilams (W, 5-3) entered the game in relief in the first inning and had things going well until the visitors' fifth inning.
With runners on first and second, NCCU's Wynter Williams and Daiyah Bailey attempted a double steal. A miscommunication between the catcher and the third baseman led to a throwing error, which allowed Bailey to score. A passed ball moved Wynter Williams to third, leading to an RBI single from Mia DeLaFuente to bring the Eagles to within two at 5-3. Sierra Soto's soft liner to shortstop ended the Eagles' threat.
However, NCCU was back at it in the sixth. Back-to-back errors and a passed ball with two outs put runners on second and third for the Eagles. Bailey tied the game 5-5 with a two-run single through the left side of the infield before the frame ended when Bailey was caught stealing. The Aggies had an emphatic response in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
Caldwell led the rally with a leadoff single, followed by a single from sophomore Jaden James. Merritt moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, setting up junior pinch-hitter Trinity Glover's RBI single that scored Caldwell and gave the Aggies the lead back at 6-5. Junior Bria Finley followed with an RBI single before Moss blasted a three-run homer over the left-field wall to give the Aggies a five-run advantage at 10-5. Moss leads the CAA in home runs with seven.
Aaliyah Williams took care of things in the circle in the visitors' seventh. After giving up a leadoff single, she retired the Eagles in order. Aaliyah Williams finished the game with seven strikeouts. Merritt finished Game 1 by going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Senior Katriel Williams also went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Bailey led the Eagles with a 2-for-3 game that included two RBIs and two runs scored.
Freshman Maliyah Alexander (W, 1-3) got the Game 2 start and pitched brilliantly. She lasted six innings, giving up three runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four. Sophomore Lauren Hardy came on to pitch a scoreless seventh inning. Freshman Taniyah Thomas went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored twice. Three other Aggies had multiple-hit games, including Merritt going 2-for-3 with a run scored, Moss going 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Caldwell posting a 2-for-4 game in Game 2 with a run scored and an RBI.
A&T took a 7-0 lead in the third thanks to a six-run inning off NCCU starter Simone Mack (L, 0-6). Sophomore Ayanna Mears delivered the big blow with a two-run triple to right-center. Thomas scored on a wild pitch in the home fourth to give the Aggies an 8-0 advantage, putting the game in jeopardy of ending early due to softball's run-rule. Bailey kept the game going in the fifth with an RBI single, and the Eagles added two runs in the sixth on a Sierra Soto two-run homer.
But the Aggies added two more runs for good measure in the home sixth. Freshman Ava McCauley produced an RBI single, and freshman Andria Krupey's single led to two more A&T runs.
The Aggies will head into this weekend's CAA series with UNCW looking for its first conference win.
