In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Aggies were tangled in a 4-4 match with the Houston Baptist Huskies. With one out and no runners on base, sophomore infielder Rylen Wiggins drew a walk on a full count to give the maroon and white a lone runner.
With the next batter at the plate, Wiggins would steal second to give A&M a runner in scoring position. During the same at bat, Wiggins stole third, and a throwing error allowed the Wylie native to cruise home and earn the Aggies their 18th victory of the season, a 5-4 finish.
The Aggies’ outing was not entirely in need of last-inning heroics, however, as the team led by multiple runs for a large chunk of the afternoon.
The maroon and white bats woke up early, as senior catcher Haley Lee grazed a satellite panel with a first inning home run to score herself and freshman infielder Koko Wooley. The home run was Lee’s seventh of the season, leading the team.
Following the match, Lee stressed the value in getting control of the scoreboard early so the team is able to recover after making mistakes.
“Early leads are something we talk a lot about, being aggressive early in the game and putting our foot on the gas to try to score early on,” Lee said. “I think by doing that, it builds a strong foundation that allows us to have some of those errors and make mistakes and not make us feel so pressured when we do.”
The score was stagnant until the fourth inning, when Huskies’ sophomore catcher Jasie Roberts and freshman utility player Avery Drake made things interesting, tying the score at two after an A&M throwing error.
In the bottom of the fifth, A&M retook its two-run advantage. Lee tallied her second run of the day, batted in by sophomore infielder Trinity Cannon. Freshman outfielder Alexis Tippit, who pinch ran for Cannon, found home plate herself off a double by Wiggins.
Huskies’ senior Caitlyn Brockway tied it up in the sixth with a two-run shot that brought home Drake, setting the stage for Wiggins to finesse her way around the bases and send the Huskies packing.
A&M coach Jo Evans said she was not pleased with the way that her team played, but understood that slow days can happen under the pressure of a Southeastern Conference schedule.
“This happens sometimes when you have a midweek [game] and you’re really focused on SEC play — you can come out a little relaxed,” Evans said. “I thought we had really low energy. We scored quick and then struck out three times looking. We just didn’t make adjustments when we needed to. The silver lining is we found a way to win.”
Sophomore pitcher Grace Uribe started at the mound, pitching 5.0 innings, striking out five and surrendering two runs off as many hits. Graduate student pitcher Kayla Poynter was credited with the win after pitching 2.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five.
The victory lifts the Aggies to 18-10 for the season, while the Huskies fall to 10-12.
The A&M season continues on Friday, March 25, when the Aggies travel to Athens, Ga., to take on the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.