McIntyre steps in and records two hits  

Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 12, 2009 – The North Carolina A&T softball team battled back to force extra innings against Florida A&M on Sunday, but could not pull out the victory as the Rattlers defeated the Aggies 6-5 in eight innings at the Lady Rattlers Softball Complex.

Jessie Larson led the Aggies by going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Freshman Amanda McIntyre, who was making just her second start of the season, also had two hits and scored a run.

The Aggies trailed 5-4 going into their half of the seventh. With two outs, Tangie Conover hit a groundball to shortstop. But the throw to end the game was errant, allowing Conover to reach base. After Danielle Nguyen pinch-ran for Conover, Larson stepped up and hit a game-tying RBI triple. Larson was 5-for-9 in the series.

Aggies starter Sasha Philpot kept the Rattlers off the board in the bottom of the seventh despite the inning opening with an error. According to extra inning rules, the Aggies had the player who made the final out in the previous inning placed on second to start the eighth. Bullock did not move off of second, however, as Mel Oliphant retired the Aggies in order.

FAMU started its eighth inning with Harold Joyce on second. Joyce scored the game-winning run thanks to a fielding error by the Aggies as the Rattles improved to 6-0 in the conference. The Aggies dropped to 18-14 overall and 3-3 in the MEAC.

N.C. A&T was able to fight back from a 3-0 deficit in the fifth. The Aggies began a two-out rally thanks to a McIntyre single to left field. Yahamma White followed with a single down the right field line that moved McIntyre to third. Rattlers starter Amanda Reyes helped the Aggies load the bases by walking Ashley Carter.

Two run scored as Ryanne Hill’s grounder was mishandled, allowing McIntyre and White to score as the Rattlers’ lead was cut to 3-2. The Rattlers moved ahead by three again, however, as the Rattlers scored two runs in the fifth off RBI singles by Nicole Terryn and Megan Moore. The Rattlers turned to Oliphant in the sixth in an effort to sustain the lead.

But Oliphant walked Larson to lead off the inning. Lillian Bullock would reach on a Rattlers throwing error, which allowed Larson to score to cut the Rattlers lead to 5-3. Bullock reached third on a wild pitch and later scored on a Bianca Alsobrook groundout to move the Aggies to within one going into the seventh.

The Aggies will return to action 2 p.m., Thursday when they play UNC Greensboro at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.