After a rebound win over NC State on Feb. 14, No. 8 Texas A&M softball faced back-to-back opponents on Sunday, Feb. 15, securing wins against both James Madison and Northwestern.
To begin the day the Aggies woke up on a mission, handling the Dukes in five innings, 11-0. About an hour later, A&M faced off against Northwestern, coming from behind to win 6-5 after a fatigued start. The Maroon and White finished the Shriner Children’s Clearwater Invitational with a tournament record of 3-2, pushing their overall record to 7-3.
A&M began its doubleheader bright and early on Sunday, with sophomore right-handed pitcher Sydney Lessentine taking the mound against JMU at 8 a.m. After a scoreless opening frame, the Aggies caught fire in the bottom of the second, scoring five runs off of five hits.
With only a single out and bases loaded, sophomore catcher DeeDee Baldwin singled to left field, bringing home freshman pinch runner Piper White and sophomore shortstop KK Dement. Up 2-0 with Baldwin on first, the Maroon and White got into the heads of the Dukes as sophomore center fielder Frankie Vrazel walked before senior third baseman Kennedy Powell singled to right field, loading the bases. The flood gates opened as sophomore right fielder Ariel Kowalewski singled to center field, scoring Vrazel and Baldwin, doubling the Aggies lead. A&M scored another run to finish the inning up 5-0 with a single from junior designated player Mya Perez.
Unfazed by the early start, the Aggies were wide awake in the bottom of the third, adding to their 5-0 lead with a two-run homer from sophomore left fielder Kelsey Mathis. Mathis’ blast to left center brought home senior first baseman Micaela Wark, putting the Dukes on run-rule notice, down 7-0.
While A&M’s bats were hot, JMU’s bats were not. An outstanding pitching performance from Lessentine sent the Dukes to the doghouse from the moment they stepped foot in the batter’s box. Pitching only 2.2 innings, Lessentine recorded four strikeouts and only allowed a single hit. Lessentine tapped out from the mound as senior left-handed pitcher Taylor Pannell tapped in. Picking up where Lessentine left off, Pannell allowed only three hits in her 2.1 innings pitched. Unable to keep up with A&M’s hot offense, JMU’s morning only got more grim.
In the bottom of the fourth, Kowalewski homered to right center, taking a solo trip around the bases. Down 8-0, the JMU faithful began heading for the exits with a run rule in sight. A&M wasn’t done yet, as Dement doubled to right field, bringing home junior PR Hailey Golden from second base. Mathis decided that the Dukes hadn’t suffered enough, hitting a single to left field, sending both Dement and Perez to home plate.
Now with an 11-0 advantage, A&M moved its attention to the top of the fifth, hoping to close out the first game of its Sunday double header. With three outs from three batters, Pannell finished the job for the Aggies as the game was called after five innings. The Aggies outplayed the Dukes in every major statistical category. A&M threw 32 fewer pitches than JMU, yet recorded a 67.6% strike rate, 13.2 percentage points higher than the Dukes’. The Maroon and White batted in six two-out runs, compared to the Dukes’ goose egg. The Aggies brought the heat in Game 1 of their doubleheader, taking a well-earned, hour-long break before Game 2 at noon versus Northwestern.
Game 2 of the Aggies’ doubleheader began similarly to that of Game 1, going scoreless through two frames. However, unlike Game 1, A&M’s opponent struck first, as Northwestern scored five runs in the top of the third.
Graduate student second baseman Grace Nieto singled through the left side, bringing home senior SS Bridget Donahey from second base. With runners on second and third, senior RF Kelsey Nader singled to center field, as first-year designated player Teagan McCue scored off of an Aggie error. The Wildcats’ offensive explosion continued as sophomore center fielder Kaylee Avvisato homered to center field, scoring both Nieto and Nader and adding three more runs to their lead. A&M finally stopped the bleeding with two flyouts from Northwestern’s next two batters.
After 2.1 innings from sophomore LHP Kate Munnerlyn, head coach Trisha Ford made the change to junior RHP Sidne Peters in an effort to slow down the Wildcat offense. Peters did just that, allowing two hits and one run in her 3.2 innings pitched, compared to Munnerlyn’s rough third inning, where she allowed three hits and four runs.
Entering the bottom of the third, the Maroon and White trailed 5-0, an unfamiliar feeling after their otherwise successful Sunday morning. Kowalewski and Perez helped to answer for A&M, yet could only find two runs to end the inning. Kowalewski singled to right, scoring Vrazel, while Perez reached base on a fielder’s choice, scoring Powell. Heading into the fourth inning, down 5-2, the Aggies felt the fatigue of a long morning of action.
In the innings that followed, A&M found sustained offensive success across multiple innings, while Northwestern lived off of its third-inning scoring frenzy.
The Aggies found a run in both the bottom of the fourth and the bottom of the fifth, closing in on the Wildcats. Peters pitched lights out in the top of the fourth, facing three batters, striking out one and grounding out two. In the fourth inning, freshman catcher Maddie Sauni scored off a single from Powell. Similarly, in the fifth inning, Wark launched a solo home run to right field.
One run away from a tie game, Peters gave her team a fighting chance, recording three straight outs on three straight batters in the top of the sixth.
The Aggies stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, with Vrazel quickly grounding out to second. Desperate to get on base, Powell bunted, relying on her speed to beat the throw to first. Safe. Kowalewski singled, advancing Powell to scoring position. Two on, one out. Perez put the ball in play, hitting a single through the right side, advancing Kowalewski to third and scoring Powell. Tie game. With senior 2B Tallen Edwards’ sacrifice fly to left field, Kowalewski came home, giving the Aggies their first lead of the game, 6-5.
As Dement struck out swinging to end the inning, A&M relied on its defense to bring home the victory. The Aggies turned to a familiar pitcher from earlier in the day, none other than Pannell. The Missouri transfer allowed only a single hit, facing four batters, closing out the 6-5 victory for A&M.
The Aggies will travel to Cathedral City, California, for a doubleheader in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. A&M will start the day against No. 14 Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m., with a rematch against No. 19 Duke at 7:30 p.m. to follow.
