No. 23 Texas A&M softball traveled south to the University of Houston for some mid-week action and concluded the regular season with a win marked by a booming offense on Wednesday, May 3.
With nine runs, 11 total hits, two home runs and a grand slam in the Houston finale, the Aggies will head into the 2023 SEC softball tournament in high spirits.
Junior 1B Trinity Cannon got the momentum moving early for the Aggies with her opening homer in the top of the first inning, her eighth home run of the season. She has now extended her on-base streak to 15 straight games.
An RBI double from sophomore CF Allie Enright quickly pushed A&M to 2-0 in the top of the second inning. Sophomore SS Koko Wooley followed and brought her pressure to the plate with a two-RBI single and clutched an early four-run lead over the Cougars.
Houston punched back in the bottom of the third inning and put up two runs of its own to quickly chip away at the A&M lead.
Wooley stepped back up for her third at-bat of the game and blasted her first career grand slam over the right field fence in the top of the fourth inning. The “four loko” brought her teammates out of the dugout to celebrate at home plate with the team home run cowboy hat and ear-to-ear smiles from all. Wooley now has 71 hits on the season and 30 RBIs, proving to be a productive and consistent hitter throughout the 2023 slate. The Aggies were now up 8-2 over the Cougars.
Enright joined the home run party with another bomb and brought the six-run lead to seven, now 9-2 in the top of the fifth inning
After a scoreless sixth inning, Houston managed one more unearned run in the bottom of the seventh and scored on a wild pitch from sophomore LHP Emiley Kennedy.
A&M wrapped up the regular season with a 9-3 win over Houston and will head into the SEC softball tournament with high team morale following the win.
A&M finished the 2023 regular season 33-18 overall. The Aggies defended the home turf 19-6, performed 8-7 on the road and 6-5 at neutral locations. The SEC tournament will be hosted by the 2022 defending champions in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and begins on Tuesday, May 9. All 13 teams in the conference will compete in the single-elimination bracket and will conclude on Saturday, May 13, with the championship game.
A&M lost to Florida in the second round of the 2022 SEC tournament. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 2011, the program has yet to add the championship title to its list of accolades.
Previously in the season, A&M edged Arkansas in a three-game series and upset the Razorbacks at home in Bogle Park with a 9-1 run rule in the last game.
The first pitch of the tournament is set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, and will be broadcasted live on the SEC Network. For bracket updates, check NCAA.com.