Aggie pitching surrendered just one earned run over 14 innings

RADFORD, Va., March 18, 2007 – North Carolina A&T baseball put together its best back-to-back pitching performance of the year, but could only muster one win from the performances.

Division I transfer Tim Johnson pitched six innings (in a seven inning game), gave up eight hits, no earned runs and struck out six to lead the Aggies to a 2-1 win over Radford on Sunday. In the second game, John Primus slid to 0-3 in a tough manner as he pitched six innings (in a seven inning game), gave up just five hits, one earned run and struck out six in a 1-0 loss to the Highlanders.

The Aggies improved to 4-12 after the doubleheader. The Aggies won the first game despite producing just four hits. The Aggies didn’t need a hit to score the first run of the game. Phillip Brewington led off the game with a walk. He then stole second and third and scored on an error by Radford catcher Nate Toth.

Nick Minter helped the Highlanders tie the game with a single through the right side to score Toth who reached on an error.

N.C. A&T took the lead for good in the fourth. Jeremy Jones, the Aggies leading hitter, led off the fourth with a single to right field. Jones was thrown out at catcher to second base, but Charlie Gamble kept the inning going with a single, followed by a Joe McIntyre double.

With runners on third and second, Nelson Santos scored Gamble with a sacrifice fly to right. Kory Kinnear attempted to give the Aggies a cushion with a single, but McIntyre was thrown out trying to score.

Johnson wouldn’t need the run. Johnson pitched out of jams in the fifth and sixth before turning it over to Jody Calloway. Calloway also found himself in some trouble. Toth led off the seventh with a single up the middle. Toth moved to second on an Alex Gregory groundout. Minter appeared to tie the game with a single, but Brewington fired a rocket to Neil Rosser to gun Toth at the plate to preserve the Aggies 2-1 lead.

After walking a batter, Calloway earned his first save of the game by getting Cory Cook to groundout to second. Will Naylor (2-1) was the tough-luck loser after pitching seven innings, surrendering just one run and striking out four.

In the second game, Primus held the Highlanders scoreless until the fifth. Back-to-back doubles from Rocky Weiss and Corey Greene gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead. A Santos infield single in the seventh gave the Aggies some hope, but Kinnear popped up to short to end the game. Adam Hoyt (1-2) earned the win by holding the Aggies to five hits, while striking out six Aggie batters.

The Aggies are back in action on Tuesday when they return home for the first time in three weeks when they host Charlotte University at 2 p.m. On Thursday, the Aggies will host Cornell at 2 p.m.