Howard earns four hits

Box Score
GREENSBORO, February 24, 2009 – North Carolina A&T head baseball coach Keith Shumate is preaching patience these days.

Shumate’s Aggies team lost their fourth straight game to open the season – all to Campbell – as the Camels earned a 19-5 win at War Memorial Stadium Tuesday afternoon in the Aggies home opener.

James Howard, playing his first game at shortstop, led the Aggies by going 4-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored. C.J. Beatty added a two-run RBI double. But the Camels offense was too much for N.C. A&T. The Camels recorded 12 extra base hits, including three home runs.

“The best remedy for us is to play games,’’ said Shumate. “We are a very young team, and the only way for us to get better is for these young guys to get some games under their belts.”

The day started well for the youthful Aggies. Howard’s infield single led to an RBI double to left field by freshman Xavier Macklin. Macklin advanced to third on a Beatty groundout. After a Nick Rogers walk, freshman Marquis Riley singled to center field to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.

But the Camels would get to starting pitcher Nick Oelker in the third. A three-run homer by Zach Johnson and a two-run home run by Carlton Floyd helped the Camels scored 10 runs in the inning to essentially put the game away. Johnson recorded four hits and five RBIs on the day to lead the Camels.

The Aggies will get a chance to play more games, starting Wednesday when they travel to Rock Hill, S.C., to face Winthrop at 4 p.m.