GREENSBORO, NC The UNC Greensboro softball team picked up its third consecutive win with a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina A&T on Wednesday afternoon at UNCG Softball Stadium. UNCG took a 2-0 win in the early game and completed the sweep with a 9-3 victory in the nightcap.
UNCG (12-20, 0-3 SoCon) got great production from leadoff hitter Mary Greenway. The senior outfielder was 4-ofo-6 from the plate with three runs scored and one RBI on the afternoon. She also tallied two stolen bases to push her season total to a perfect 24-of-24.
Mary Catherine Vercoe also had a good afternoon at the plate and was 2-of-4 with a home run, her second of the season.
Sophomore Brittany Ausley was 2-of-7 from the plate with a double and a three-run home run to go with a team-high four RBI.
Amber Harrell and Hannah Angel each started one game of the doubleheader with both picking up wins. Harrell improved to 7-10 on the season after allowing no runs on three hits in 6.0 innings of work in the first game while Angel moved to 5-9 on the year with a win in the late game. In 4.0 innings of work she allowed two runs on five hits while striking out four. First baseman Vercoe also saw action in the pitchers circle in the night cap and twirled 3.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits.
The Spartans seemed to be in control from the outset of the afternoon and tallied 15 hits through the two games. The Spartans got on the board first in both games and in the first game took a 1-0 lead with a home run from Vercoe.
The Aggies had a chance to tie the game in the fourth inning. After placing a runner on base with a walk, A&T was able to move Brittney Hodges to third base with putout and a groundout but couldn't plate her as they closed the inning with a pop out to second base. Yahamma White also had a chance in the fifth inning. After a triple she rounded third base but was out at home in a rundown.
The Spartans added another run in the sixth inning. Greenway hit a leadoff single and moved to second base with a ground out and came around the bases with a RBI double from Ausley.
The second game started much like the first with UNCG jumping out to the early 2-0 lead in the first inning but the Aggies found their bats and were able to cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second. Tangela Conover opened the inning with a double and advanced to second on a passed ball before scoring on an RBI single from Lillian Bullock.
That was as close as the game would get as the Spartans added three runs in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a three-run home run from Ausley to pull ahead 5-1 and never looked back. UNCG added three more runs in the fourth inning to take the commanding 8-1 lead. Kayla Hensley tallied the final score of the day in the fifth inning. The Durham, CA native, who was pinch running for third baseman Emily Akiyama, rounded the bases on a RBI single from Greenway.
North Carolina A&T would add two more runs in the top of the fourth and fifth innings but the Spartans would take the sweep from their cross-town rival for the second consecutive season.
The Spartans continue Southern Conference action this weekend when they head to Boone, NC to take on Appalachian State. The series gets underway at 1 pm on Saturday with a doubleheader and concludes with a single game on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm.
AGATE:
Game One
North Carolina A&T.. 000 000 0 - 0 3 0
UNC Greensboro...... 010 001 X - 2 6 0
Pitchers: North Carolina A&T - LUPER,Jennifer. UNC Greensboro - Amber Harrell.
Win-Amber Harrell(7-10) Loss-LUPER,Jennifer(7-3) T-1:12 A-0
HR UNCG - MaryCatherine Vercoe.
Game Two
North Carolina A&T.. 010 110 0 - 3 8 5
UNC Greensboro...... 233 010 X - 9 9 1
Pitchers: North Carolina A&T - PHILPOT,Sasha; GASTON,Zapora(3). UNC Greensboro - Hannah Angel;
MaryCatherine Vercoe(5).
Win-Hannah Angel(5-9) Loss-PHILPOT,Sasha(4-6) T-2:04 A-175
HR UNCG - Brittany Ausley; Leslie Furness.
