Coming off a loss in Game 1, Texas A&M softball looked lackluster starting Game 2 against No. 9 Florida on Saturday, May 4, at Katie Seashole Stadium.
The Fightin’ Farmers started off down 2-8 by the end of the second inning before mounting a comeback off junior SS Koko Wooley two runs and four hits, leading to the Aggies tying the Gators 8-8, sending the game into extra innings.
The Gators came off the bench hot in the first inning, junior CF Kendra Falby kicked off their hitting streak with a single up the middle then junior LF Korbe Otis hit an RBI double to center field, pushing in Falby to take an early lead.
Redshirt senior SS Skylar Wallace contributed with a double of her own to right field, this time allowing Otis to round the bases. As the Aggie defense struggled to find a way out, freshman RHP Ava Brown continued the trend with an RBI double to left center which allowed Wallace to push the score, 3-0 Florida.
Looking to breathe life into the Aggie offense, Wooley hit a single up the middle before junior 2B Rylen Wiggins slammed a double RBI home run past the left field fence.
Junior LF Kramer Eschete was walked before sophomore 3B Kennedy Powell hit a pop up into the glove of 3B Ariel Kowalewski, who then threw out Eschete at first for the double play to end the inning.
Back on the offensive side for the Gators, Kowalewski got her team started with a sneaky hit to senior RHP Shaylee Ackerman, who was unable to make the throw in time to first.
Ackerman then drilled freshman 2B Mia Williams in the arm with her pitch before she was followed by Falby, who singled up the middle for her second hit of the evening. With the bases loaded, Otis smacked a grand slam past left field, her eighth homer of the season.
Florida up now 7-2 with no outs in the second, prompted coach Trisha Ford to make a change in the mound, opting out Ackerman for junior RHP Emily Leavitt.
However, the Aggie’s defensive woes continued under Leavitt, first with a single by Wallace to center field. Sophomore C Jocelyn Erickson then hit her own single to center field before junior DP Reagan Walsh hit a sacrifice flyout to left field, allowing Wallace to escape to home plate.
After Erickson stole second, Leavitt struck out Brown and then senior RF Katie Kistler flied out to center to finally break the inning to a close, Gators up 8-2.
In the top of the third, senior 1B Trinity Cannon showed her frustration by smacking a home run shot past center field, her 14th of the season.
After walking Kowalewski at the start of the lineup in the bottom of the third, Leavitt showcased her experience by striking out both Williams and Wallace, sending the Gators back on defense.
Picking back up in the box, Wooley hit a single along the left field line then she stole second before junior RF Allie Enright fouled out to SS. Wiggins followed up with a single to left field, her second hit of the night.
Sophomore PH Keely Williams lined out to Brown in the circle before freshman PH Mya Perez fouled out to left field, leaving two Aggies stranded on base.
A frenzy of mistakes by Florida in the top of the fifth allowed the Maroon and White to mount a promising comeback.
First, Cannon was hit with a pitch, then graduate CF Jazmine Hill was walked by Brown. Freshman PR Haley Golden switched out with Cannon before Wooley singled to SS.
Then everything went haywire for the Gators as back-to-back errors would allow Hill, Golden and Wooley to steal home, pushing the score to 8-6.
Back on the mound, Leavitt kept her team alive by retiring Kislter and Kowalewski, before striking out senior PH Emily Wilkie.
In a do-or-die situation for A&M, Brown struck out sophomore 1B Amari Harper then Cannon and Hill were walked. Cottrill followed them up with a single down the middle to load the bases before Wooley brought home two base runners with a 2 RBI single.
All tied up at 8-8, the Gators headed back out to the batter’s box for a final attempt at silencing the Aggies.
Ford decided to switch out Leavitt for the last Florida at-bat, bringing in junior LHP Emiley Kennedy, who proceeded to strikeout the last two batters after giving up two dangerous singles to start.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Erickson singled to left field, just beyond Eschete’s glove, for the walk-off run to end the game 9-8.
Next, A&M will finish out the series against No. 9 Florida at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, in Gainesville, Florida.
