GREENSBORO – Hampton's big seventh inning proved too much for North Carolina A&T to overcome, as the Pirates evened the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) series with a 10-6 win Saturday at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.
A&T saw senior
Katriel Williams go 2-for-4 but dropped to 15-23 overall and 2-9 in the CAA. Hampton's Violet Salazar went 3-for-4 to improve the Pirates to 8-21 overall and 2-9 in conference play.
Junior
Devin Long (L, 3-8) started for the Aggies, allowed a one-out single, but held the Pirates scoreless in the first. Hampton broke through in the second. With runners on first and second, Salazar singled through the right side for an RBI and a 1-0 lead. Lee Cassidy, who reached on an error, later scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0 Hampton.
A&T answered in the bottom of the second.
Jaden James walked, and Hampton starter Ava Lester (W, 4-3) retired the next two batters before freshman
Taniyah Thomas took first on a hit-by-pitch. Senior
Camryn Caldwell then hit a sharp groundball to shortstop that Salazar mishandled. James and Thomas scored on the play to tie the game 2-2.
After both teams went down in order in the third, Hampton built a pivotal fourth inning. Leah Maduro drove in two runs with a single, Camrynn Bonner added a two-run double, and Camryn Hamilton contributed a two-run single, leading the Pirates to seven runs and a 9-2 lead. The big inning put the Aggies in comeback mode. The Pirates then extended their lead to 10-2 with a run in the fifth.
That spot put the Aggies in the position of having to score a run in the home fifth to avoid ending the game on the softball mercy run-rule, which declares a winner if a team trails by eight or more after five. A&T avoided it Saturday.
Freshman
Ava McCauley walked with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch, and advanced to third on a stolen base. Junior
Shandi Brown then grounded out for the second out of the inning, putting the Pirates on the brink of victory. But Lester hit junior pinch-hitter
Jamari Moss with a 2-1 pitch to extend the game. Junior
Destiny Sims delivered a clutch two-out single to left to score McCauley, guaranteeing the game would extend to the sixth inning.
A&T added another run when Moss displayed some base-running skills. With Moss standing at third and Sims on first, the Aggies executed a double steal. The throw down to second to get Sims allowed Moss to score to cut Hampton's lead to 10-4. After freshman reliever
Maliyah Alexander held the Pirates scoreless in the visitors' sixth inning, the Aggies continued their rally.
One-out singles from Thomas and Caldwell started the threat. Freshman pinch runner
Tia Montgomery replaced Caldwell on the base paths and took off for second base on a steal attempt. An errant throw let Thomas score and Montgomery reach third base. McCauley brought Montgomery home on an RBI single, cutting Hampton's lead to 10-6. Back-to-back groundouts ended the A&T threat.
Alexander, who pitched three scoreless innings of relief for A&T on Saturday, kept the Pirates off the scoreboard again and gave the Aggies a chance to rally in the home seventh. Sophomore pinch-hitter
Tyra Robinson singled with two outs, followed by a single from Williams. But Thomas hit into a force play, ending the game.
Sunday will decide the series winner after A&T took Friday's game. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m. at the LASC.
