GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T softball captured its first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) three-game series win, powered by strong hitting and stellar defense in a 7-5 triumph over the Hampton Pirates Sunday afternoon at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.

In the seventh inning, senior center fielder Katriel Williams and freshman shortstop Ava McCauley executed a flawless relay from the outfield to the infield, enabling McCauley to fire a throw to sophomore catcher Tyra Robinson, who tagged out Kamryn Brown at home to seal the win.

The game entered the home half of the sixth inning tied 5-5. Junior Shandi Brown started with a single against Hampton reliever Leah Maduro (L, 0-6) before a throwing error on a Destiny Sims groundball allowed Shandi Brown to race home, giving the Aggies a one-run edge. Sims advanced to third on the play, setting up Tyra Robinson to drill an RBI single that padded the Aggies' lead heading into the seventh.

With freshman Maliyah Alexander (W, 3-4) pitching in the seventh, Camryn Hamilton singled with one out. Hamilton was erased on a force at second, letting Kamryn Brown reach on a fielder's choice. Cassidy Lee then ripped a double to right-center. Katriel Williams scooped the ball and hurled it to McCauley, who launched a rocket to home, nailing Kamryn Brown at the plate.

The Aggies played error-free for the third time in four games, improving to 16-23 overall and 3-9 in the CAA. Hampton stumbled with five errors and dropped to 8-22 overall and 2-10 in league play. Graduate Camryn Caldwell and Robinson ignited the Aggies' offense. Caldwell homered in a 2-for-3 outing, driving in two runs and notching a run scored. Robinson punched out a 2-for-4 performance with a triple, two RBIs, and a run.

The game went scoreless over the first two innings before Hampton broke through with a two-run home run from Camrynn Bonner off A&T junior starter Aaliyah Williams. Hamilton followed with a solo homer to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead. The Aggies responded with a two-out rally in the A&T third. With Shandi Brown standing on third, Robinson belted a triple to right field to cut Hampton's lead to 3-1.
Junior Jamari Moss followed with an RBI single to right, bringing the Aggies to within one.

The Aggies eventually loaded the bases in the third but could not bring another run across. A&T did secure another run in the home fourth to tie the game 3-3, thanks to another two-out rally. Freshman Darkwa Hailey stood at third base with two outs. Sims brought her home with an RBI single before the inning ended on a flyout. The Aggies grabbed the lead for the first time on Sunday via a two-run homer from Caldwell, giving the Aggies a 5-3 advantage. It marked her second home run of the season and the fourth of her career.

A two-run homer from Violet Salazar drew Hampton even at 5-5 in the sixth before the Aggies responded in their half. Alexander hurled two innings of scoreless relief, yielding three hits. Shandi Brown turned in a 2-for-4 performance with two runs scored. Katriel Williams also connected for two hits and scored once. Riley Bohanon paced the Pirates with a 3-for-4 afternoon.

A&T returns to action this weekend when it travels to Buies Creek, NC, to face the Campbell Fighting Camels in a three-game CAA series at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium. Game 1 is Friday at 5 p.m.