ELON, NC – North Carolina A&T could not come up with the timely hitting it needed to avoid getting swept by the Elon Phoenix in both teams' opening Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) three-game softball series of the season.
Elon held on for a 3-2 win over the Aggies on Sunday at Hunt Softball Park. Elon posted 5-2 wins on Friday and Saturday to improve to 7-15 overall and 3-0 in CAA play. The Aggies dropped to 11-15 overall and 0-3 in league play despite getting a strong relief appearance from junior Devin Long. Long pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up only one hit.
The Aggies helped sophomore starter Lauren Hardy (L, 2-4) by scoring two runs in the visitors' second. Junior Jamari Moss opened the game with a single but was eliminated on the base paths when senior Katriel Williams reached on a fielder's choice. Freshman Taniyah Thomas put Aggies on first and second with a single before sophomore Tyra Robinson moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
That allowed sophomore Jaden James to bring both runners home with a two-run RBI single, giving the Aggies an early 2-0 advantage. After giving up a two-out walk, Hardy escaped the second inning without any damage done. That was not the case in Elon's home third.
Payton Swart led off the frame with a single and moved into scoring position on a groundout by Reili Gardner. That set up a series of hits for the Phoenix, starting with Chloe Hatzopoulos's RBI single up the middle to score Swart. Lani Wyrick followed with an RBI double, and Greta Hessenthaler complemented Wyrick's RBI with an RBI single to give the Phoenix a 3-2 lead. After a Teagan Baulsir single put runners at first and second, the Aggies replaced Hardy with Long in the circle.
Long got Mauri Murray to fly out to left field and Kayla Wilson to ground out to end the frame. But Ana Dew (W, 5-3), who was also making a relief appearance, would hold steady against the A&T hitters throughout the 5.1 innings she pitched on Sunday. After the second inning, the Aggies went hitless until the fifth inning.
Thomas provided a two-out single before a pop-up to shortstop ended the inning. Dew set the Aggies down in order in the seventh inning to clinch the win. Dew finished the game with eight strikeouts. Long was just as stingy, retiring 11 of the 12 batters she faced. Offensively, Thomas led the way for A&T, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Hatzopoulos led the Phoenix with a 2-for-3 afternoon that included a run scored and an RBI.
The Aggies will try to end their four-game slide on Wednesday when they host a doubleheader against North Carolina Central University (NCCU) at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
