The North Carolina A&T picked up a big road win against The Citadel, 7-6, in an 11-inning shootout on Friday evening at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park in non-conference baseball.
With the game knotted at 6 in the top of the 11th inning and two outs with runners on first and second, sophomore outfielder Cameran Brantley laced an RBI single into center field that scored senior catcher Ryne Stanley to give the Aggies the lead, 7-6.
Brantley turned in a huge performance for A&T, going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBI.
Senior right-hander Evan Gates slammed the door on any possible tying run that the Bulldogs (3-5) could hope for in the bottom of the 11th, striking out two in the frame. Gates (1-0) finished with a line of 3.2 innings allowing only one hit with seven strikeouts, and picked up the win for his efforts.
He has now thrown 8.2 innings and allowed just one run on three hits with 14 strikeouts.
The Aggies (3-6) offense put together 11 hits as a team. Freshman Trevor Sheehan hit another home run, his team-leading third of the season.
Along with Brantley, senior shortstop Dustin Baber and redshirt freshman Connor Knapp both turned in multi-hit games. Stanley drew three walks and scored a team-high three runs.
N.C. A&T jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the first five innings. In the second inning, two walks led to an RBI single from Baber. A throwing error on the play allowed Ryne Stanley to score on the play for a 2-0 lead.
Two innings later, Brantley blasted a three-run homer to give the Aggies a 5-0 advantage. Sheehan’s solo blast in the fifth made up for the 6-0 lead.
The Bulldogs rallied from there. By the eighth inning, they had cut the Aggies lead to 6-3. That’s when Tyler Corbitt hit a two-run home run to cut the Aggies lead to 6-5. After the homer, Crosby Jones doubled to put the go-ahead run at the plate.
Noah Mitchell tied the game with an RBI double to tie the game at 6. Senior RHP relief pitcher Leon Davidson struck out the final two batters to end the eighth and eventually send the game into extra innings. The Aggies did load the bases in the ninth but did not push a run across.
Senior Michael Johnson got the start and pitched five scoreless innings, striking out one. Devin Beckley (1-1) got the loss in relief for The Citadel.