ELON, NC – The North Carolina A&T baseball team got off to another fast start on Sunday, only to see Elon score a series of unanswered runs. This time, the Aggies responded, but it was still not enough in an 11-8 loss to the Phoenix at Latham Park.
The win gives the Phoenix a 2-1 series win over A&T in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup between the conference's two Piedmont Triad area teams. The Aggies are 3-12 overall and 1-2 in early league play. Elon moved to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in the CAA. The Aggies' offense came to play, producing a season-high 14 hits. The Aggies also tied a season high with five stolen bases.
Senior Nick DiCarlo and sophomore Bruce Wyche had three hits apiece, with both men reaching safely on doubles on Sunday. Wyche also drove in three runs and scored once, while DiCarlo scored three times and drove in one run. In addition, freshman Luis Acevedo recorded his first career home run in Sunday's game.
On Saturday, the Aggies scored three runs in the top of the first before the Phoenix scored eight unanswered to win 8-3. On Sunday, the Aggies were back at it, putting together another impressive three-run first. For the third straight game in the series, DiCarlo opened the game by reaching base safely. He walked on Friday, earned a base hit on Saturday, and reached on a single up the middle on Sunday.
Sophomore Reginald Tuggle III followed with an infield single, and both runners moved into scoring position on a Tyler Smith groundout. Wyche brought both men home on an RBI double to left field before scoring on an RBI single from junior Jason Campo to give the Aggies the early 3-0 lead. Unfortunately, Elon was back at it on Sunday, too. Elon scored nine unanswered runs over its first four at-bats to take a 9-3 lead.
However, A&T came up with an answer in the visitors' fifth, and it came off the bat of Acevedo. He blasted a leadoff homer over left field to bring the Aggies to within five. DiCarlo followed with another extra-base hit, a double down the right field line. After Elon right-handed starter Cole Hansen (W, 2-1) retired the next two batters, Wyche stepped and provided a clutch two-out hit to score DiCarlo, cutting Elon's lead to 9-5.
Elon added another run in the bottom half of the fifth on an RBI from Jared Hall before the Aggies' offense got revved up again. RHP Hank Kraft walked A&T graduate Kristian Amaro to open the frame. Amaro went to second base on a passed ball and advanced to third on a groundout by Acevedo. That set the table for a DiCarlo RBI single that got the Aggies to within four runs. After junior Boaz Harper lined out, the Aggies came up with some big-time two-out hits.
Smith singled to put runners at first and second before a double steal put DiCarlo at third and Smith at second. In a 10-pitch battle with Wyche, Kraft walked Wyche to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate in sophomore Savoi Edwards. Elon replaced Kraft on the mound, deciding to go with RHP Sam Nomura to face Edwards. Edwards took the second pitch he saw from Nomura and sent it up the middle for a base hit, scoring DiCarlo and Smith to cut Elon's lead to 10-8.
Edwards moved into scoring position on a stolen base, but Nomura struck out Campo to end the frame. Elon posted another run in the home seventh to take an 11-8 advantage. The Aggies stranded a runner in the eighth before making a substantial threat in the ninth against RHP RJ Latkowski (S, 4). Smith started the rally with a one-out single before Wyche followed with a single to put the tying run at the plate. However, Latkowski settled in and earned back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Hall led Elon by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Smith had a 2-for-5 day, and Tuggle went 2-for-3 with a run scored. RHP Angel Ortiz (L, 0-1) got the start for A&T on Sunday, pitching 2.1 innings. A&T's midweek opponent for the third time this season will be UNC Greensboro. The Aggies will host the Spartans at War Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, March 11, at 4 p.m.
