Luper named Invitational MVP

Box Score
GREENSBORO, MARCH 2, 2008 – Apparently, the North Carolina A&T softball team needed to experience what nature had to offer first before it was ready to put its bats to good use.

The Aggies avenged a Friday loss to Mississippi Valley State by blowing past the Delta Devils 12-4 in five innings to win the 2008 North Carolina A&T Fastpitch Invitational at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon. The Aggies win was the second of the season against MVSU, the four-time defending SWAC champions. They also beat the Delta Devils in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge earlier this season.

Bianca Alsobrook led the Aggies with a 3-for-4 day with four RBIs and a double. “We didn’t hit the ball on Friday,’’ said head coach Mamie Jones, who saw her team lose 9-1 on Friday.

“Friday was only our first or second day being outside for the week because our field was too wet to practice on, so we were a little off our game. They came out on a mission today to prove Friday was not indicative of how we play .The team that was out there today is the team I know.”

Lillian Bullock, who came into the invitational batting just .158, was 6-for-12 for the tournament with two doubles, two triples and four RBIs. Yahamma White was 2-for-3 Sunday with a RBI. Alsobrook, Bullock and White were named to the all-tournament team for the Aggies.

Aggies starter Jennifer Luper, who got the win on Sunday, was the tournament MVP. Luper was 2-0 for the invitational with a 2.33 ERA. The freshman is an impressive 5-0 on the season.

Luper ran into some trouble in the second, however. Trailing 3-0, the Delta Devils put together an impressive two-out rally. With a Candy Middleton on first, Shania Mitchell put runners on first and second with a single, which was followed by an Aggies throwing error that allowed Ashley Lawrence to go to second, while Middleton scored to make it 3-1. Haleigh Eubanks tied the game with a two-run RBI single. But Eubanks also ended the Delta Devils’ rally by getting picked off.

Eubanks’ mistake ended the last legitimate threat the Delta Devils had against Luper. The Delta Devils managed just one hit the rest of the way.

Meanwhile, the Aggies offense exploded. They put together a six-run fourth that put the game away. With runners on second and third, White broke the 3-3 tie with a RBI single that scored pinch runner Britney Hodges. Chaola Simmons followed with a two-run RBI double that scored Brittney Reddick and White to give the Aggies a 6-3 lead. The Delta Devils then turned Nikki Strouder on the mound. Strouder shut down the Aggies offense on Friday, but had no such luck on Sunday.

She came in only to see her defense give up an error that allowed Jessie Larson to reach and Simmons to advance to third. Tangala Conover took advantage of Simmons being on third by hitting a sacrifice fly to center field to score Simmons. After Bullock walked, a RBI double by Ryanne Hill and a RBI single by Alsobrook closed out the scoring in the inning for the Aggies, giving them a 9-3 lead. The Aggies added three more runs in the fifth to put the mercy rule into play. The Aggies improved to 8-2 on the season. Even with their impressive season last year, the Aggies were just 3-7 after 10 games.

“They came out focused this morning,’’ said Jones. “You could see it in their preparations before the game. Once the game started they were hitting the ball all over the place. We really hit the ball in the gaps today.”

The Aggies return to action on Tuesday when they face UNC-Wilmington in a 2 p.m., doubleheader from the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.