April 27, 2007

Box Score

Greensboro, N.C. - North Carolina A&T State University paved the way in the first game with pitching dominance, and rode their hitting in the second game to fend-off visiting Bethune-Cookman University in a softball doubleheader on Friday at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex in Greensboro, N.C. The Lady Aggies took the first game, 8-0 before winning the nightcap, 11-5 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference twin billing.

It's no secret that pitching has been a mystery for the Wildcats of late as they have used two (2) upper-classmen that have never pitched a collegiate game in back-to-back weekends to try and get the "W" for first-year head coach Chris Cochran. After freshman pitcher Lanaya Jenkins was forced out of the lineup due to injury in the MEAC Round-up, catcher Andrea Thomas and shortstop Holly Bussey worked courageously in the pitcher's circle to try and help the team. Both brought home a combined 2-4 record though, as previously noted, never having pitched a collegiate game in three [Thomas] and two [Bussey] years, respectively.

Defense was the word in the first game, as well as pitching as B-CU (19-32, 5-7 MEAC) was on the wrong end of a one-hit shutout for the second time in three weeks. This time it was N.C. A&T (25-28, 9-5 MEAC) pitcher Sasha Philpot supplying the duty.

N.C. A&T jumped on the board in the bottom of the first frame with four runs to set the tone of the game.

Shortstop Yahamma White collected an inside-the-park homerun ... the second of the season against the Wildcats, as she put the Lady Aggies on top, 1-0. That allowed Adia Dial to "dial up" a triple to right field, and eventually score on a throwing error by the B-CU infield. That hit pushed across Lillian Bullock and Tangala Conover for the 4-0 advantage, with the score from Dial.

Junior third baseman Christina Trimble collected the only hit of the game for the `Cats in the top-half of the second inning when she led-off the frame with a single through the left side. Holly Bussey walked on the next play to have runners at first and second with no one out, before a double play and a strikeout ended the side and the threat for the `Cats.

N.C. A&T would take advantage with two more runs in the bottom of the inning as Conover swung around on a Jessica Hurtado pitch past the glove of Trimble for an RBI single. That was immediately followed by a two-out, RBI single from Bullock to plate White for the 6-0 advantage for the Lady Aggies.

Two more runs from the Lady Aggies in the third inning put them up 8-0, thus leading to the 8-run rule game after the fifth inning.

Hurtado collected the loss in her first game back in the pitcher's circle for the `Cats in 28 games (Mar. 7 vs. Winston-Salem State). She was bumped for eight runs (four earned) on seven hits in four innings of work. That would drop her record to 5-8 on the campaign.

The win went to Philpot who improved her mark to 14-9 on the season as she allowed just the one hit and struck-out two batters.

Yahamma White was 2-for-3 for the Lady Aggies at the plate with two runs and one RBI. Trimble was the only Wildcat with a hit as she went 1-for-1 on the day in her only official at-bat.

In the second game of the day, B-CU was not to be outdone by their counterparts from North Carolina as the bats woke up and brought Florida heat with them.

After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning courtesy a two-run homer from N.C. A&T's Tangala Conover, the Wildcats finally got on the board in the top of the second frame.

First baseman Brandi Holley led things off with her team-high tying 13th double of the year before heading into third with a wild pitch coming from the Lady Aggies' Adia Dial. Holley was later brought home with an RBI single shot back up the middle from freshman Trashonda Coven to cut the lead at 4-1 in favor of the Lady Aggies.

The bottom of the inning would not be great for the Wildcats from a pitching standpoint after finally getting on the board.

A two-out rally, sparked by the Wildcat killer on the day [Conover] started with an RBI single to centerfield that scored Chaola Simmons, while also moving first baseman Jessie Larson into scoring position. That's when Lillian Bullock delivered a two-run scoring triple to straight-away centerfield to put N.C. A&T on top 7-1.

Tabitha Veney's RBI single up the middle scored Bullock from third for the 8-1 advantage.

B-CU would answer back in the top of the third frame with an RBI single from Christina Trimble that scored Breanna Shaw on the play. Shaw reached base safely courtesy a fielder's choice before advancing on a wild pitch from Dial.

N.C. A&T plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning with a two-RBI single from catcher Veney before the Wildcats put on two runs of their own in the top of the fifth frame.

Tameika Jonas drove a Dial pitch to right field for a single to start-off the inning, while Shaw and Bussey followed that up with back-to-back singles of their own to load-up the bases. That's when Trimble reached base via an error on the N.C. A&T outfield that pushed across Jonas for the first score of the inning.

Senior Shaterra Davis later collected her second sacrifice fly of the year when she hit a deep fly-out to centerfield that allowed Shaw to race in from third base on the play.

In the sixth inning, the Lady Aggies answered the call with a deep homerun from first baseman Channing Statham to put N.C. A&T on in front by the score of 11-4.

B-CU scored another run in the top of the seventh inning when catcher Andrea Thomas collected her 28th RBI of the year with a run-scoring down the left field line to plate Davis from second base. That was the final score of the game as Dial eventually got the Wildcats to strikeout to end the game.

The win went to Dial of N.C. A&T who jumped her record to 10-12 on the campaign, while Hurtado (5-9) took the loss for the Wildcats in her second complete-game of the day in the pitcher's circle.

B-CU was led at the plate by five (5) Wildcats collecting a multi-hit outing, including Trashonda Coven going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Breanna Shaw, Holly Bussey and Brandi Holley each went 2-for-4, respectively. Trimble collected a team-high two RBI.

N.C. A&T was led by Tangala Conover who went 3-for-3 with the bat, including two runs and three RBI. Chaola Simmons and Tabatha Veney also collected two hits each for the Lady Aggies.

The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman will now take to the road just 30 minutes to the west, though staying in the Piedmont Triad, as they face-off tomorrow afternoon against the newest member of the MEAC ... Winston-Salem State University. The game is set for a 1 p.m. start at the South Park Recreation Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.