Luper hits another game-clinching home run

Box Score 1          Box Score 2          Box Score 3
GREENSBORO, April 29, 2009 – In total, North Carolina A&T played almost six hours of softball Wednesday afternoon at the Lady Aggies Softball Complex. It’s was worth every minute.

The Aggies beat arch-rival N.C. Central three times with 11-9 (8 innings), 10-1 and 3-2 wins. The first game played was a continuation of a game that was rained out on April 2.

The earlier game, which was played in Cary, ended with the game tied at 4. There were Aggies on first and third with two outs in the top of the fourth. The Aggies quickly took the lead when the game restarted. Ryanne Hill hit a double to center field, scoring pinch runner Jennifer Luper and Ashley Carter for a 6-4 Aggies lead. The Aggies added two more runs in the sixth as Bianca Alsobrook opened the inning by hustling down the first base line to earn an infield single.

Two batters later, Carter singled to put runners on first and second. Hill drove in two additional runs with a two-run RBI triple to give the Aggies an 8-4 advantage. The lead would not hold up, however. The Eagles rallied in the bottom half of the seventh. Andre Searls’ two-run RBI single to left field scored two runners to slice the Aggies lead to 8-6.

After a sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third, Tia Kirby tied the game at 8 with a two-run RBI single. But the Aggies reclaimed their momentum in the eighth inning. The Aggies, who by rule had a runner (Alsobrook) placed on second to start the extra inning, saw that runner advance to third on a wild pitch. Alsobrook would give the Aggies the lead thanks to a RBI groundout from Danielle Nguyen.

Luper, who replaced Sasha Philpot on the mound to start the day, gave herself some room to work with going into the bottom of the eighth by hitting her second home run in three days. She launched this one down the left field line for a 10-8 Aggies lead. Carter, the recently crowned N.C. A&T Female Rookie of the Year, continued the Aggies onslaught by tripling to right-center field.

Tangie Conover scored her on a sacrifice fly for a three-run Aggies lead. The Eagles would try to mount another comeback. Ashley Shade, the runner placed on second, cut the Aggies lead to two by scoring on a grounder to third.

But with Eagles on first and second, Luper struck out Jessie Refojo to finally end a game that started four weeks ago. Hill led the Aggies with four RBIs, while Carter was 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Lillian Bullock also had three hits and two RBIs.

The regularly-scheduled doubleheader wasn’t as competitive. Bullock went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBIs in the 10-1 five-inning game. Luper went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs. During the game, Bullock hit her third home run of the season, a two-run blast in the fourth inning. Sasha Philpot (9-9) earned the win by pitching a two-hitter.

N.C. A&T improved to 23-19 on the season after the third game of the day. Nguyen recorded two hits and a RBI to lead the Aggies to the 3-2 victory. Luper (14-9) pitched seven innings, surrendered just one earned run and struck out six.

With the game tied at 1 in the fourth, Jessie Larson reached on a double to left center. Philpot reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners on first and second. Nguyen followed with a RBI double to right center, scoring Larson for a 2-1 lead. The Aggies loaded the bases on a Carter walk, and took a two-run lead after Toni Torres was hit by an Eagles’ pitch, forcing home Larson.

Strong defensive play from the Aggies kept the lead intact. After the Eagles cut the lead to one in the fifth, they had runners on second and third with one out. But Larson, the Aggies catcher, and third baseman Conover made an alert play to catch Sophia Blue in a run down between third and home. Bullock, the Aggies shortstop would eventually put the tag on Blue for the second out. Luper took over from there by striking out Franklin.

The Aggies defense continued to play well in the sixth as second baseman Torres took a relay throw from Carter in center field and placed a perfect throw into the glove of Conover to gun down Kirby trying to take an extra base after doubling to right center. Luper took care of the Eagles in the seventh for the win.

The Aggies return to action 1 p.m., Saturday when they face Bethune-Cookman at home in a doubleheader.