GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T played solid defense, received standout relief pitching, and slowed a productive Campbell offense just enough to earn a much-needed 7-4 win over the Fighting Camels in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) action on Sunday at War Memorial Stadium.

The Aggies ended their five-game losing streak and improved to 4-15 overall and 2-4 in the CAA. Despite Carlos Lugo's two hits and two runs scored, the Camels dropped to 9-9 overall and 5-1 in league play.

"Every win is huge. They're even bigger when you're not playing well, and you're not doing things consistently or even close to even giving yourself a chance to win," said A&T head coach Ben Hall.

Hall acknowledged that both Campbell and A&T played sloppily on Friday, but added his Aggies team had a worse showing after recording seven of the 10 errors committed in the game. He gave a hit tip to Campbell's Saturday starter, David Rossow, after he contributed mightily to Campbell's shutout win over A&T by striking out 13 over 6.1 innings pitched. Another key for the Aggies, according to Hall, was keeping Campbell star Joe Simpson off the base paths. He came into Sunday's game 3-for-8 in the series, with four runs scored, two RBIs, and five stolen bases.

"In the end, it's how you're playing (the game)? If you're playing at a level of baseball that creates winning opportunities for yourself, then your losses won't hurt as badly because they're competitive, and then of course, it also gives you a chance to win," Hall said. "Today, we were in a position to win. We threw more strikes. We kept Simpson off base. That was a challenge for us going into the weekend. We talked about keeping him off base – one of the best base stealers in the league. He was off base all day today."

The Aggies, who avoided a three-game sweep with their win on Sunday, poured out of their dugout after the final out was made, looking like a team that had renewed confidence after a rough first two games against Campbell. The Aggies got another outstanding performance from senior Nick DiCarlo and 3.2 innings of scoreless relief from junior right-handed pitcher Agyei Quinichett (W, 1-1). DiCarlo extended his hitting streak to nine games, going 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. He leads the CAA in batting average and has reached base safely in 11 straight games.

"He's scrappy. Nothing he does is flashy," said Hall. "He's a contact player. If you notice, he doesn't walk a lot; he's going to hit his way on base. I love that. Obviously, there are different thoughts on how you get on base, but if he keeps finding barrels and he's avoiding strikeouts, then you know he is going to be successful."

DiCarlo kept his streak alive in the third inning after the Aggies fell behind 2-0, following a Luis Acevedo single with a double. Sophomore Tyler Smith walked to load the bases, and sophomore Bruce Wyche tied the game with a two-run single. Sophomore Savoi Edwards followed with a two-run triple to give the Aggies their first lead of the series.

Graduate RHP Angel Ortiz, who is still working his way back from an injury, gave up a one-out triple to Mike Murphy in the visitors' fourth inning. The Aggies, who did not anticipate their ace would pitch a lengthy game, turned to Quinichett, who gave up an RBI single to Elijah Clayton, cutting A&T's lead to 4-3. However, Quinichett retired the next three batters he faced in the frame to keep the Aggies in the lead.

Clayton's hit was the only one Quinichett surrendered as he finished his outing with two walks and two strikeouts. The Aggies' offense gave him some help in the seventh inning. Thanks to a single from senior Luis Gomez and RHP Owen Simmons hitting Acevedo with a 1-1 pitch, the Aggies put runners on first and second with one out. DiCarlo came through again with an RBI double to score Gomez. Smith also delivered.

Smith drove in two runs to give the Aggies a 7-3 lead. Graduate RHP Kobie Cushing entered in the eighth inning to hold down a Campbell offense that had produced 31 runs over the previous two games. He allowed a run in the ninth but got the final out to secure the win for A&T.

"The bullpen came in and was throwing strikes, and we were able to maximize innings and get crooked numbers," said Hall. "We got what they call kill shots, opportunities to score multiple runs in an inning. We played complementary baseball much better today."

The Aggies will host the Radford Highlanders at The War on Tuesday, March 17, at 6 p.m.