After going 25-2 in nonconference play and starting 2-1 in SEC play, the fourth-ranked Texas A&M softball team lost its first series of the year as the Aggies were swept by the No. 12 Georgia Lady Bulldogs this past weekend. The series in Athens, Georgia finished on Saturday with a doubleheader, which the Lady Bulldogs won by scores of 9-1 and 7-3.
In the series opener on Friday, Texas A&M had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom of the fifth before giving up four runs in the bottom of the fifth and two runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Lady Bulldogs won the game by a score of 6-3.
“We had to make pitches when we need to.” Coach Jo Evans told 12thman.com after Friday’s opener. “Give Georgia a lot of credit. They came out there and attacked the strike zone. We stranded a bunch of runners in scoring position. When you play a great team like this, you have to have timely hitting. I thought we did a good job of that in the beginning. I thought Keeli Milligan had a great game [on Friday].”
Despite the slow offensive weekend for the Aggie offense, there were some bright spots for the A&M lineup. Freshman Keeli Milligan increased her stolen base total to 39 on the year, which leads the nation and puts her in second place for most stolen bases in a season by an Aggie. Sophomore Ashley Walters hit .300 with 2 RBIs and freshman Kaitlyn Alderink also hit .300 while scoring three runs on the weekend.
Freshman Samantha Show has been the ace in the circle for the Aggies all year, but struggled in the series, losing two games while giving up 18 hits and 10 runs in seven total innings pitched.
Sophomore Trinity Harrington also struggled this weekend as she recorded her first loss of the season, giving up eight hits and five runs in her start in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday.
Texas A&M falls to 27-6 and 2-4 in SEC play after the series. The Aggies will look to bounce back this weekend as they take on Arkansas. The series will start on Friday at 6:30 PM at the Aggie Softball Complex.
