GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior Casey Hargett hit a go-ahead home run in the fourth and the North Carolina Central University softball team kept the one-run lead until host North Carolina A&T State University scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 4-3 walk-off win to begin a crucial Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) series opener Friday afternoon.
 
The Aggies had five consecutive batters reach base with one-out in the seventh, capped by a bases-loaded, game-winning single by sophomore Raven Gray.
 
NCAT (15-28 Overall, 4-9 MEAC) remained ahead of NCCU (6-40, 2-10) in the league standing and will only need to win one game in Saturday's doubleheader to clinch the fourth and final seed from the Southern Division for the 2016 MEAC Softball Championships. The Lady Eagles will need to sweep the Aggies on Saturday in order to advance.
 
The seesaw affair had both squads in front on two separate occasions. North Carolina A&T grabbed the initial lead in the bottom of the first before NCCU catapulted ahead with a pair of runs in the third. The Aggies leveled the game at 2-2 in the home half of the third before Hargett led off the fourth with her go-ahead solo blast over the left field fence.
 
Hargett also doubled in the second to begin her 2 for 3 performance.
 
NCCU's first rally started with a single by freshman Breanna Carter. Senior Markell Wylie traded places with her at first on a fielder's choice and Wylie then scored her team-high 22 run on a double belted off the base of the left-field fence by senior Jenny Tracy to knot the score at 1-all. Freshman Erykah Smith pinch-ran for Tracy and she was able to score the Lady Eagles first go-ahead run on an ensuing single to center by senior London Booker.
 
The Maroon and Gray outhit NCAT, 8-7, with Hargett and Wylie accounting for half of those base knocks with two hits apiece.
 
Booker was given the ball in the circle and she was closing in on her third win in her last four starts before NCAT made its improbable comeback. Booker held the Aggies to just three hits over the first six innings before the hosts came up with four base hits in its last at bats.
 
The Aggies loaded the bases on three consecutive singles by pinch hitter Mohagony Headen, Lauren Dunlow and Zadia Davis. The equalized was driven in on an RBI fielder's choice play by Alejandra Barcenas, setting up the game-winning single through the right-side of the infield by Gray that scored Dunlow to end the contest.
 
Gray, who leads the Aggies in most offensive categories, also had a triple in the third.
 
Booker (4-16) took the loss and counterpart Janika May (5-10) went the distance for NCAT.
 
The two teams will conclude the series with Saturday's doubleheader at NCAT Softball Complex beginning at 1 p.m.