GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T baseball pushed its winning streak to three and improved to 4-1 over its last five games, beating Gardner-Webb University 16-6 in seven innings at War Memorial Stadium on Tuesday. The game ended with a career first.

Tuesday was A&T's second win over the Bulldogs in seven days, improving A&T to 8-19. Last Tuesday, the Aggies won 10-6 at Boiling Springs, NC. At The War, A&T's home first-inning hitting display—all after two outs—stood out.

Eleven straight Aggies reached base in the first inning after GWU recorded two outs, resulting in a nine-run first with 15 plate appearances. GWU's trouble began with a hit, compounded by a hit-batsman from right-hander Connor Busson (L, 0-1), setting off a scoring avalanche.

Sophomore Savoi Edwards singled. Sophomore JT Taylor doubled. Senior Luis Gomez singled. Freshman Adrian Gonzalez was hit by a pitch. Freshman Luis Acevedo singled, and then the Bulldogs made a pitching change. When RHP Josh Gentile entered the game, all of those hits led to a 5-0 A&T lead. It also led to senior leadoff man Nick DiCarlo batting for the second time in the inning.
During DiCarlo's at-bat, umpire Dalton James was injured on a passed ball. Gonzalez scored, and play paused for 30 minutes for medical attention. The game resumed with only two umpires, and the Aggies continued hitting.

DiCarlo, senior Andrew Tinsley, Smith, and Wyche hit four straight singles for a 9-0 lead before Edwards ended the inning with a flyout. A&T scored nine runs via nine hits, two hit-by-pitches, and an error. GWU scored an unearned run in the second off starter Jason Johnson. A&T scored an unearned run in the second, then GWU closed the gap with Drew Ripepi's three-run homer, making it 10-4. Johnson ended the inning and his outing with a groundout. He pitched three innings with two strikeouts, giving way to sophomore LHP James Van Meter (W, 1-0).

Van Meter entered the game with an 11-4 lead after Smith scored on a passed ball in the home third. Van Meter gave up a single in the fourth but pitched around thanks to a well-executed double play. After pitching a scoreless fourth, Van Meter gave way to RHP Benny Whiteaker. Taylor gave him some help by adding an RBI single in the fifth to give the Aggies a 12-4 lead. Each team scored a run in the sixth, and the Bulldogs added a run in the seventh on a wild pitch. The Aggies put the mercy rule into play with a big seventh inning.

RHP Devin Pressley loaded the bases with walks to Wyche and Edwards, then hit Taylor. RHP Nick Blaszczak got a pop-out, but only delayed the inevitable. Freshman pinch-hitter Ryan Allen hit a three-run triple to left, giving A&T the 10-run lead needed to end the game in the seventh. It was Allen's first career hit.

It was a memorable moment for Allen and a big-time offensive evening for Wyche, who went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Smith went 3-for-5 and scored twice, and Taylor, Gomez, and DiCarlo had two hits apiece.

The Aggies return to The War this weekend for a pivotal three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) series against the Elon Phoenix. Friday's first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.