Torres goes 4-for-4 in the second game

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GREENSBORO, MARCH 20, 2008 – Pitching has been the strength of the North Carolina A&T softball team thus far this season. On Thursday, Western Carolina took away that strength by pounding out 25 hits over two games to sweep the Aggies in doubleheader action with 4-0 and 11-7 wins at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.

The Aggies only registered three hits in the first game. In the second game, Toni Torres went 4-for-4 with a run scored while Lillian Bullock went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Channing Statham hit her second career home run in the second game. The Aggies fell to 11-8-1 on the season while the Catamounts improved to 6-17.

Aggies Game 1 starter Sasha Philpot may have faired better if she woul have received some help offensively. Philpot went all seven innings, struck out seven, walked only one and gave up 10 hits. RBI singles in the first by Jamie Swank and Stephanie Beatty gave the Catamounts a 2-0 lead. Philpot settled down from there, giving up just two hits over the next four innings.

The Catamounts added some extra cushion to their lead in the sixth, however. Beth Hauser led off the inning with a single. Philpot retired the next two batters, but Rachel Drawdy added another single as Hauser moved to third. After Drawdy advanced to second, pinch-hitter Mollie Fowler stepped in and hit a two-out, two-run RBI single up the middle to give the Catamounts a four-run lead.

Catamount starter Michelle Tating took the win by going seven innings, striking out eight and walking only one to improve to 4-3.

The Aggies started the second looking poised to earn a split. After falling down 2-0 in the first, N.C. A&T rallied in the second. Bullock led off the inning by doubling to center field. Ryanne Hill followed by legging out a triple to right center field to score Bullock. The Aggies tied the game on a Statham groundout.

The Aggies would later take the lead in the fourth. After Statham walked and Torres singled, Yahamma White stepped up and hit a two-out, two-run RBI triple to give the Aggies a 4-2 lead. But in the fifth, the Catamounts got to starter Jennifer Luper like no other team has this season.

WCU brought 14 batters to the plate, scored nine runs and recorded 11 hits to put the Aggies away. Luper dropped to 6-2 on the season while Lilly McDonagh improved to 1-6 on the season.

The Aggies are back in action Saturday afternoon at 4 when they take on N.C. Central in Cary, N.C.