April 20, 2008

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

Daytona Beach, Fla. - The North Carolina A&T softball team and Bethune-Cookman played like two teams who could play for a MEAC title in May on Sunday. The Aggies got a RBI single from Channing Statham in the eighth to hand the Wildcats their first conference loss with a 5-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader played at Sunnyland Park.

With emotions running high because of "Senior Appreciation Day" at Sunnyland Park, the Wildcats had extra intensity to try and knock off their long time Southern Division counterparts from Greensboro, N.C.

The Wildcats held off a late Aggies surge to win the second game 6-5 to take two out of three from the Aggies. The Aggies are 24-15-1 overall and 6-3 in the MEAC. The Wildcats (18-31, 8-1 MEAC) hold a two-game lead in the MEAC South Division.

Yahamma White, Tangie Conover, Chaola Simmons and Lillian Bullock had two hits apiece for the Aggies in the first game. Ryanne Hill added two RBIs for the Aggies. The Aggies trailed 2-1 going into the fifth, but White earned a one-out walk off of Wildcats starter Allison Garcia. But Garcia struck out Conover for the second out in the inning.

But White kept the pressure on by stealing second and moving to third on the bad throw down to second. The Wildcats compounded the problem with a bad throw from the outfield as White scored to tie the game at 2. Garcia left the game because of an injury, which led to Chastity Sanders replacing her in the pitcher's circle.

Sanders opened her appearance by walking Jessie Larson. Bullock then singled off of Sanders to put runners on first and second. Hill gave the Aggies lead with a RBI single that scored pinch-runner Britney Hodges. The Aggies increased their lead to 4-2 in the seventh thanks to a RBI sacrifice fly to center that scored Larson who singled.

The Wildcats forced extra innings when senior Christina Trimble hit a two-run RBI triple to center field to score freshman Taryn Hernandez and shortstop Holly Bussey. Extra innings are played under international rules; therefore, in the eighth pinch-runner Brittney Reddick was placed on second to open the inning. After an error moved Reddick to third, Statham's single gave the Aggies the lead.

Aggies starter Jennifer Luper kept the Wildcats off the scoreboard in the home eighth to improve to 16-4 on the season. The Aggies went into the second game with a chance to tie the Wildcats atop the MEAC South Division standings, but fell behind 6-1 going into the sixth.

B-CU opend things up with a three-run second frame as freshman outfielder Ashton Hinds blasted a two-run scoring single to center field that plated classmate Sonya Urteaga and Liz Parrish on the play. That allowed the homestanding Wildcats to go up, 3-0.

N.C. A&T would not let the Wildcats slip away so easily. Simmons opened the sixth with an infield single. Simmons moved to second on a wild pitch, which set up a RBI single from White to cut the Wildcats lead to four. Conover kept the rally going with a single to center to put runners on first and third for Larson who ripped a double to left center to score both runners to slice the Wildcats lead to 6-4.

Aggies starter Sasha Philpot helped the Aggies keep their rally hopes alive in the Wildcats sixth by not allowing a run. The Aggies seventh opened with a Sylvia Felder single to center field. Bianca Alsobrook replaced her on first by hitting into a force play. Another Simmons infield single and a walk to White loaded the bases for Conover. Conover grounded out to third, but moved the Aggies to within one as Felder scored.

The Wildcats would hold on in the end, however, as they increased their lead in the MEAC Southern Division out to two (2) games. Sanders (2-8) earned the win in Game 2, while Philpot (7-9) took the loss.

The 'Cats will finish up their MEAC Regular season next weekend with a trip to Florida A&M which begins with a doubleheader on Saturday. If B-CU can come away from Tallahassee with at leats two wins, they will solidify the top seed in the Southern Division heading into next month's MEAC Tournament in the Wildcats' back yard of Ormond Beach, Fla.