In the inaugural “Swing for Life” game, the Texas A&M softball team did not quit swinging against Sam Houston State Wednesday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
With pink covering the stadium to promote breast cancer awareness, the Aggies beat the Bearkats for the third time this season, 6-1.
“This was the kind of businesslike game that we wanted,” Head Coach Jo Evans said. “We really needed a win, and relative to what we’re trying to do in the postseason, it means a lot.”
A&M took a two-run lead in the first inning. After a single from sophomore Natalie Villarreal, a walk and a hit by pitch, junior outfielder Bailey Schroeder hit an RBI single to left field.
Junior shortstop Macie Morrow recorded a walk in her first at-bat. It was her third game back after receiving face surgery.
Both teams traded a pair of scoreless innings before the Aggies scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Freshman center fielder Kelsea Orsak led off the inning with her second infield single of the game, followed by a single by Villarreal, her second of the game. A single from Glasco and a sacrifice fly from junior third baseman Alex Reynolds made the score 4-1 in favor of A&M.
Orsak and Villarreal finished the game with perfect plate appearances. Villarreal went 2-for-2 with a walk and Orsak was 3-for-3 with three singles.
“We needed this, we needed to be able to hit throughout the order,” Evans said. “Kelsea Orsak was terrific tonight. Both her bunt singles were impressive.”
In the bottom of the sixth inning, sophomore pitcher Rhi Kliesing tied the team lead in RBIs with 28 after knocking a two-run home run to right field, her seventh of the season.
Kliesing retired the Sam Houston lineup in the top of the seventh inning to improve her season record to 19-10. She finished with one strikeout, allowed one run, six hits and three walks.
“Rhi can hit like that every day, she can get on a roll,” Evans said. “It’s nice to see her out there pitching that well and driving the ball like that.”
Bearkats’ senior pitcher Brandi Crnkovic received the loss, pitching five innings while allowing five runs and recording three strikeouts.
With six games remaining in the regular season, A&M, 28-17 overall and 5-7 in the Big 12 Conference, will play its final two home games of the season against Iowa State this weekend.
A&M will then play four games on the road with away games against Baylor and Texas.
“We can’t afford to give anything away at this point,” Evans said. “Two big wins this weekend would really help us when we go on the road.”