GREENSBORO – North Carolina A&T issued 12 walks and allowed 12 hits in the opening game of a three-game Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) baseball series against UNC Wilmington at War Memorial Stadium.
UNCW capitalized, defeating A&T 18-2 in seven innings. It marked A&T's 13th straight conference loss. The Aggies dropped to 12-35 overall and 3-22 in CAA play as a result. In addition to getting help from their offense, the Seahawks also got a solid pitching performance from Trey Williford (W, 7-1).
Williford threw six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, one walk, and striking out 11. The Seahawks improved to 27-21 overall, 15-10 in league play.
Three first-inning walks, three UNCW hits, and five UNCW runs led to a short outing for A&T junior right-hander
Agyei Quinichett (L, 1-5). Despite a rough first inning, the Aggies had a response in their half of the frame. It started with a leadoff single from senior center fielder
Nick DiCarlo.
DiCarlo advanced to second base on a wild pitch before sophomore
Savoi Edwards brought him home on a one-out RBI double. Senior
Andrew Tinsley flew out to right field for the inning's second out, bringing junior
Marcus Bradshaw to the plate. During Bradshaw's at-bat, a passed ball moved Edwards to third.
Another passed ball sparked a daring attempt by Edwards to score while the ball rested just inches from Seahawks catcher Josh Martinez. Edwards managed to slide under Martinez's tag. After review, umpires upheld the safe call, trimming UNCW's lead to 5-2.
Unfortunately, from that point, the Seahawks piled on 13 unanswered runs. Their surge included a two-run homer by Danny O'Brien, a two-run single from Mason Hughes, and a two-run pinch-hit single by Ryker Galaska. Hughes went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs, and three walks.
A&T freshman second baseman
Ryan Allen tallied two hits for the Aggies. Game 2 of the series is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at The War.
