HIGH POINT, NC – Last Tuesday, the North Carolina A&T baseball team played the High Point University Panthers at Truist Point Stadium, home of the minor league ballclub High Point Rockers.
The Panthers narrowly escaped with a win last week. On Tuesday at Truist Point, however, the Aggies made sure the contest was decisive. Sophomore
Bruce Wyche recorded three hits, including a double, propelling the Aggies to a sharp 10-4 victory over the Panthers. The Aggies snapped a four-game losing streak, including last week's loss to HPU, improving to 10-24 this season.
Meanwhile, HPU got home runs from Seojun Oh and Jake McCarter, but dropped to 24-12 thanks to the non-conference defeat. Notably, both teams gave up their respective home games over their last two meetings to play at Truist Point. Adding to their experience at prominent venues, earlier this season, the Aggies also played at First National Bank Field, home of the minor league's Greensboro Grasshoppers.
"All these guys want to play pro ball. All the guys on that side want to play pro ball," said A&T head coach
Ben Hall. "Anytime you can get into the Grasshoppers' stadium or play where the Rockers play, in a professional ballpark environment, it means a lot. It is a recruiting tool. You want to get a few of these games every year. That way, you get the experience they are all striving for and putting in all the hours for, and that's to extend their careers. The Rockers are great to work with, too.
They are unbelievable partners for both High Point and us, and really all the teams in the area. They're an open park for everybody to utilize depending on the schedule. Great environment. We've played well here. We didn't get the win last week, but we played good baseball."
The Aggies lost 3-2 on a walk-off single last week. On Tuesday, HPU got off to a 3-0 start in the second inning, fueled by back-to-back home runs from Oh and McCarter. The Aggies rallied in the home second, taking advantage of some HPU miscues with some impressive hustle plays.
HPU right-handed starter Justin Silverstein walked three consecutive batters, loading the bases. Silverstein then threw a wild pitch that allowed senior
Luis Gomez to score. Oh, the Panthers' catcher, retrieved the ball with time to throw out Gomez, but his throw sailed wide right, enabling freshman
Ryan Allen—who never stopped running—to slide home and cut HPU's lead to 3-2.
Freshman
Adrian Gonzalez went to third in all the excitement. Sophomore
Boaz Harper stepped to the plate and laid down a squeeze bunt, which allowed Gonzalez to score and tie the game. Oh's attempt to throw out Harper went wide, allowing Harper to move into scoring position at second base.
LHP Jack Carey replaced Silverstein on the mound, but junior
Marcus Bradshaw delivered an RBI single to score Harper and give the Aggies a 4-3 lead before a flyout ended the lengthy frame. HPU evened the score at 4-4 in the top of the third with an RBI single from Jace Kohler.
A&T RHP
Braxton Davis (W, 2-1) took command from there. He pitched around an HPU threat in the fourth before retiring the Panthers in order in the fifth. After surrendering a leadoff walk in the sixth, he put the Panthers down in order to keep the game tied. A&T's offense exploded in the home sixth, giving the A&T pitching staff all the help it needed.
Allen, making his season debut as a starter, singled with one out. He advanced to second on a throwing error, then scored on another error as he attempted to steal third. Allen's aggressive baserunning put the Aggies ahead for good. RHP Mark Salicco (L, 1-1) then walked Gonzalez and gave up a single to Harper before freshman
Luis Acevedo drove in Gonzalez with an RBI single, extending the lead to 6-4.
The Aggies started three freshmen and three sophomores on Tuesday.
We got some other guys in the game today, and they stepped up and did well," said Hall. "They did some good things, which is great to see. Those guys deserve opportunities. When you're not getting consistency, you want to give other guys opportunities and get them in there and see what they can do."
A&T kept the momentum going. Bradshaw scored Harper on an RBI single, bringing RHP Mateo Wells into the game. Wells got A&T sophomore
JT Taylor to hit into a force play, eliminating Bradshaw from the base paths. But the throw to get Taylor at first went wide, allowing Acevedo to score. Wyche gave A&T a 9-4 advantage with an RBI double down the left field line.
"It's a big deal," Wyche said about the win. "If you look up A&T's record right now, it doesn't look too good. It's important to get the win today for confidence going into the weekend. The big takeaway from today is just the win. With 17 games left, it's just a matter of doing the little things right. At the end of the game, look at the scoreboard and hope that it is in our favor."
To cap off the Aggies' scoring, senior
Andrew Tinsley added an RBI double in the home eighth. Both Bradshaw and Acevedo had two-hit games for the Aggies as they head into a weekend series against the Northeastern Huskies, the defending Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) champions. Looking ahead, Game 1 of the series is at War Memorial Stadium, Friday, April 17, at 6 p.m.
"High Point is as good a team as there is in the region right now, so that's the challenge. Can you go out and do it on Friday when the stakes are technically higher, but it's still the same game?" Hall said.
