Rogers hits game-winning homer

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NORFOLK, Va., March 21, 2009 – Junior Nick Rogers hit a solo home run to left field to lead the North Carolina A&T baseball team to a 4-3 win over Norfolk State in the second game of a Saturday doubleheader at Marty L. Miller Field.

The Aggies lost the first game 12-2. Xavier Macklin led the Aggies in the second game with two hits and two RBIs. Esterlin Paulino improved to 2-1 on the season by pitching a complete-game seven inning outing where he struck out five and gave up just four hits.

The Aggies and the Spartans went into the sixth inning tied at 1. Spartans reliever Ryan Shook appeared to have the Spartans safely coming out of the sixth inning without any damage. He retired the first two Aggies, but an error on a George Hines grounder extended the inning. Shook would then intentionally walk C.J. Beatty to face Macklin. Macklin made him pay by ripping a two-run double to left field to give the Aggies a 3-1 lead.  

The Spartans answered in their half of the sixth. Anselmo Cantu opened the inning by earning a walk off over Paulino. Cantu went to second on a balk, which set up Chris Joyce’s RBI single to right center to move the Spartans to within one. Jermaine Berry tied the game again with a RBI double down the right field line to score Joyce. Paulino worked himself out of the inning by striking out Andrew Suttmiller and Christopher Warren.

Rogers followed the top of the seventh by hitting his third home run of the season to give the Aggies the lead. Paulino got three straight Spartans to groundout in the seventh to end the game. In the first game, the Aggies committed six errors and left 10 men on base. George Hines, Beatty and Eric Chiz had two hits apiece. Beatty’s day included a double and Hines added a triple. Blaine McCraw took the loss for N.C. A&T. He is 1-2 on the season.

The doubleheader split starts the conference season off at 1-1 for the Aggies.