In just one night, Davis Diamond saw 21 Aggie runs — boosting confidence through the young team.
The Texas A&M softball team extended its win streak to seven on Tuesday with a double header sweep against Texas Southern University. With the win, the Aggies move to 24-13 on the season.
The Aggies had a hot third inning in game two, scoring six times to top the Tigers 13-2.
Junior outfielder Blake-Ann Fritsch batted in freshman Taudrea Sinnie with a single to center field to kick off the scoring bout. The inning also saw four unearned runs.
A&M head coach Jo Evans said the team’s ability to garner and keep momentum was crucial.
“We’ve needed that,” Evans said. “We’ve struggled to score runs lately and it was nice to see us hit through the lineup. The bottom of our order is doing a really nice job. Kayla Garcia has been a real spark plug for us in the lineup.”
Garcia, a freshman infielder, earned two runs on two hits in game one but had only a hit in the second game.
A&M’s scoring barrage continued into the fourth inning, as the Aggies scored six runs on five hits.
Evans said the dominant wins over Texas Southern will help instill confidence in the team moving into the weekend.
“It’s been nice to see our kids tonight really take over a game,” Evans said. “We felt like it was a game that we needed to come in and take charge. Once we got through the second inning of the first game, I felt like we were really running on all cylinders offensively.”
Junior pitcher Payton McBride had three RBIs in game two for A&M, also adding two runs on three hits and the Aggies’ lone homer of the night.
A&M’s five sacrifice flies in the first game set a school record for the most in a single game. The Aggies’ previous record was four against Monmouth on Feb. 28, 2009. Junior outfielder Kelbi Fortenberry accounted for two. The Aggies added four sacrifice flies in their game two win.
Five Aggies recorded two hits each in game one. Baylee Klingler, McBride, Dani Elder, Garcia and Morgan Smith combined for A&M’s 10 hits.
After A&M fell behind early 1-0, Garcia kicked off scoring for the Aggies following a sacrifice fly to left field by Fortenberry. The Aggies used two runs in the fourth inning and two in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead over the Tigers.
Sophomore pitcher Kayla Poynter notched eight strikeouts from the mound, allowing only three hits and one run to help A&M to an 8-1 win.
Evans said Poynter’s performance will help her confidence in future series.
“She threw well,” Evans said. “She cut down on her walks today (two) and went after hitters, settled in nicely after the first inning. I thought she showed good presence on the mound.”
The Aggies will return to SEC play with a three-game weekend series against No. 12 Georgia at the Jack Turner Stadium. First pitch on Friday is set for 5 p.m., both game two and three will start at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All games will be televised on the SEC Network.