CHARLESTON, South Carolina – Senior pitcher
Casey Rowland (Colonie Central H.S./Albany, N.Y.) had four hits, drove in four runs and struck out five batters in four innings as UNCW earned an 8-3 victory over North Carolina A&T in the first game of the Willie Jewell's Invitational at Charleston Southern on Friday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who were playing away from home for the first time this season, improved to 3-1 with the victory while the Aggies dropped to 3-2 and had a two-game win streak snapped.
In addition to her 4-for-4 performance at the plate, Rowland allowed just two hits in the circle while earning her first win of the season. Â
Freshman
Sarah Davis (Walter Williams H.S./Burlington, N.C.) continued her solid start to the season with three hits and two runs scored while senior
Kristen Jernigan (South Johnston H.S./Benson, N.C.) added two hits with a run scored and an RBI. Â
Junior
Darian Roberts (Pamlico County H.S./Jacksonville, N.C.) earned her first career save by throwing three innings in her first appearance of the season. She scattered four hits and allowed three unearned runs.
Senior
Zebresha Blakeney (A.L. Brown H.S./Kannapolis, N.C.) and freshman outfielder
Raven Gray (East Rutherford H.S./Forest City, N.C.) each posted two hits to lead the Aggies in the loss.
How It Happened: The Seahawks scored twice in the first and third innings before plating three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. North Carolina A&T ended the shutout bid by scoring three unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning before Rowland hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning for an 8-3 advantage.
Inside the Box Score: The Seahawks scored four of their eight runs with two outs … Rowland's home run in the sixth inning was the Seahawks' first round tripper of the season … UNCW went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-8 with two outs … North Carolina A&T was 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Notes of Interest: UNCW leads the all-time series against the Aggies by a 34-7-1 margin … Jernigan extended her hitting streak to four consecutive games … Rowland has at least one hit in three of the Seahawks' four games this year … Davis and Jernigan also collected their second multi-hit games of the season … Rowland lowered her earned run average to 0.66 in two starts this year … The Seahawks' game against Tennessee Tech, which was scheduled for Friday morning at 11 a.m., was canceled due to field conditions and will not be made up … It is the third game they have lost already this season.
Coach Norton Says: "Our hitters did a great job of building a lead for us today. However, we had too many miscues defensively. We will be looking to get better next time out."
What's Ahead for UNCW: The Seahawks finish play at the Willie Jewell's Invitational with two games on Saturday. UNCW plays Tennessee Tech at 9 a.m. before facing the host Buccaneers at 1 p.m.
