GREENSBORO – Florida A&M is playing for a MEAC southern division baseball title this weekend at War Memorial Stadium. North Carolina A&T is simply playing to prove they are a good baseball team despite its early struggles this season.
On Saturday at least that seemed to be enough for A&T as Brandon Wilkerson's walk-off single in the ninth inning gave the Aggies a 6-5 win over the Rattlers in front of a crowd that included the 1974/75 MEAC championship teams and the 2005 MEAC championship team. Both teams were honored before the game. Interim head coach Ben Hall, who has seen his team win five of its last seven conference games after starting 1-13, hopes the late-season surge will lead to a future MEAC title.
“Baseball is always a learning curve,” said Hall who saw his Aggies improve to 9-34 overall and 6-15 in the conference. “We've got a lot of young kids, but they've been in there working hard every day. You see the progression all year, and I think the progression you're seeing now is a group of guys who maybe didn't gel early in the year, but it is better late than never.”
Defense and the Aggies bullpen were two things that didn't go right early in the season. But on Saturday, both elements of the game were vital to the Aggies win. A&T right-hand starter Brian Poag left the game in the sixth inning after giving up a two-out double to Alec Wong. Left-hander Danny Garrett replaced Poag and gave up a double to left center field to A.J. Elkins to score Wong. It was one of six doubles the Aggies surrendered on Saturday as the Rattlers (17-23, 13-9 MEAC) took a 5-4 lead.
But the Aggies bullpen was solid the rest of the way giving up no runs, three hits and three walks in 3.1 innings pitched. A&T also went errorless as senior shortstop Brandon Mitchell made all six plays that came his way.
Pitching and defense gave the Aggies a chance going into the ninth as Kyle Clary opened the inning by lining a shot off the glove of right-hand reliever Kenny McDonald. McDonald could not run down the ricochet in time as Clary reached. Clary later went to second on a passed ball before Mitchell beat out a bunt going down the third base line.
Freshman Myles Sowell tied the game at 5 with a single through the left side to score Clary. With runners on first and second, the Aggies brought up one of their most consistently good hitters all season in Wilkerson. It didn't take long for Wilkerson to end the game as he roped a 1-0 pitch passed the diving glove of first baseman Ryan Kennedy. FAMU right fielder Peter Jackson scooped up the rolling baseball and fired it home.
As Mitchell raced around third, the ball took one bounce in front of the plate before hopping over the glove of catcher Jeremy Barlow as Mitchell slid into home safely for the game-winning run.
“We could have sacrificed there (with Wilkerson at the plate), but no way,” said Hall. “Not with your best hitter at the plate. That's his opportunity. You're going to live and die with him, and we lived today.”
Wilkerson was 2-for-5 on the day with two RBI. Freshmen Milton Rivera, Adan Ordonez, Sowell and sophomore Timothy Ravare each had two hits. Right-hander Jason Gifford (1-1) benefited from the Aggies late-inning rally by picking up the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. McDonald (3-2) took the loss after the blown save.
“I tell the guys all the time, you're biggest at-bats will always come late in the game, so you've got to stay in it. The game is going to come back to you and that whole (ninth) inning was a testament to that. Kyle was 0-for, got a big knock to lead us off, and Brandon Mitchell hung in there and got down the line hard on his sac. Those plays gives us a chance to get Brandon Wilkerson to the plate with a chance to win the game.”
The Aggies and the Rattlers will play two games Sunday at WMS starting at noon. The Rattlers are a half-game behind Bethune-Cookman for the southern title, while the Aggies will try to finish strong.
“We had three weeks left in the season and the challenge was to go out and play your best baseball,” Hall said about the turnaround.
