Luper strikes out eight Spartans  

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GREENSBORO, April 16, 2009 – Reliability describes Ryanne Hill’s 2009 season to this point. That reliability continued Thursday afternoon as the Charlotte sophomore hit a walk-off single in the seventh inning to lead the North Carolina A&T softball team to a 3-2 win over UNC Greensboro at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex.

Hill’s RBI single had some added significance because it marked the first time in 17 tries the Aggies have defeated their cross-town rivals. Unfortunately, the Aggies lost to the Spartans in the second game of the doubleheader, 4-3.

Hill was 3-for-4 on the day with two RBIs. Yahamma White and Ashley Carter had two hits apiece, and White scored twice. Jennifer Luper improved to 11-7 on the mound after striking out eight Spartans and giving up just one earned run.

White led off the seventh with a single to center field. Carter stepped up and did her job by laying down a bunt to move White into scoring position. UNCG starter Angel Hannah made Hill’s heroics a little easier by unleashing a wild pitch to move White to third.

Hill, who is hitting an amazing .411 with runners in scoring position, did not disappoint. She took a Hannah 1-1 pitch and hit a sharp groundball through the left side of the infield to score White. Hill ranks among the best run producers in the country.

Hill’s first RBI of the game came in the third inning. The Aggies trailed 2-0 after the Spartans took an early lead in the first inning off of back-to-back walks to open the game. Hill sliced the Spartans lead in half with another single through the left side to score White.

Hill also played a role in the Aggies tying the game in the sixth. She led the inning off with an infield single. Tangie Conover and Jessie Larson followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Hill’s heroics were even more rewarding considering she had a chance to score on Larson’s single but had trouble reaching third. The Aggies still tied the game as Conover would eventually score on a passed ball to set up Hill’s walk-off single.

In the second game, White, Conover and Larson had two hits apiece to lead the Aggies. The Aggies appeared to be making another late-inning rally in Game 2. Sasha Philpot led off the inning by walking and moved to third on a White single. White’s steal attempt led to an errant throw to second by the Spartans catcher, which allowed Philpot to score to cut UNCG’s lead to one.

But a fly out to center field by Carter gave the Spartans the split. The Aggies are 19-15 on the season and 8-4 at home.