Peck Has Good Outing, Aggies Lose Two to FAMU

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  –  Junior Robert Peck had redemptive Game 2 pitching performance for the North Carolina A&T pitching staff, but a two-run home run for Florida A&M made the difference as the Rattlers swept a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader from the Aggies, 22-11 (in seven innings) and 5-3 at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

N.C. A&T (8-26, 3-8 MEAC) and FAMU (20-10, 10-1) will conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., at WMS.

Peck went six innings in the scheduled seven-inning contest of Game 2 where he gave up three runs on five hits, struck out three and only gave up two walks in 90 pitches thrown. Peck (1-3) endured the tough-luck loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the FAMU sixth.

Dylan Dillard led off the frame by singling to left field, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before stealing third. FAMU put runners on the corners after Ben Ellzey walked. FAMU power hitter Marlon Gibbs then hit a slow roller up the first base line. Peck fielded the ball and fired home but Dillard slid into home plate ahead of the tag to give FAMU a 3-2 lead. In the seventh, Dillard returned to the plate and hit a two-run homer into the wind flying out to right field for a 5-2 advantage.

N.C. A&T showed some grit in the seventh inning, however. Junior Timothy Ravare hit a one-out single to right and moved to second on a wild pitch. Rattler reliever Tyler Reker (RHP) put the tying run on by hitting Milton Rivera with an 0-2 pitch. It led to FAMU replacing Reker with RHP Kendal Weeks. Weeks started his outing by throwing a wild pitch to put both of N.C. A&T’s runners into scoring position ahead of Adan Ordonez’s groundout RBI to second that scored Ravare to put the Aggies down two.

But Weeks did get Dawnoven Smith to pop out to end the game as Weeks earned his third save of the season. Reker (1-1) got the win.

Ravare and Rivera had two hits apiece in the second game to lead the Aggies. Rivera also had two hits in the first game as he extended his hitting streak to 18 games. But Rivera’s Game 1 offense was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Aggies and the Rattlers combined for 33 runs, 25 hits, five errors and 18 walks in the first game. N.C. A&T was hurt because they posted 13 of the 18 free passes. They also hit three batters.

FAMU put together a seven-run second, an eight-run fourth and a five-run fifth to take a 20-3 lead going into the Aggies fifth.

That is when the Aggies offense went to work. Ordonez started the scoring with an RBI single to left. He moved into second on the throw home and Rivera advanced to third. An error by FAMU first baseman Brian Davis on a Jason Davis ground ball allowed Rivera to score ahead of Kyle Clary’s RBI single that scored Ordonez. Lance Jensen then hit his second home run in as many games as his blast went over the right field. The inning ended with N.C. A&T trailing 20-9.

Jensen’s home run was significant because in MEAC play the game is over if a team trails by 10 or more runs after seven. N.C. A&T put themselves in position to extend the game beyond the seventh with a two-out rally in the sixth as Ravare and Ordonez scored on wild pitches to make it 20-11.

Dillard, who was a tough out for N.C. A&T all day, hit a two-run home run in the seventh to put the Rattlers up 11. N.C. A&T did not respond with multiple runs in their seventh, therefore, they were not able to extend the game.B
Tevelle Clark (2-1) took the loss, Ryan Anderson (4-1) was the winner. Clary added two hits for the Aggies and Ravare scored three times.

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COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS