Groom the infield, pop the popcorn, raise the flags and ready the bubble machines. It’s time for Southeastern Conference softball in College Station.
Following a successful trip to the bayou, No. 15 Texas A&M softball returned to Davis Diamond on Friday, March 20, looking for its first home victory of conference play against Kentucky.
A&M started its conference schedule on the road, securing its first SEC series victory of the season with a 3-2 win over No. 19 LSU on March 15. After taming the Wildcats in six innings, the Aggies’ 10-2 win brings them one step closer to their second series victory of conference play.
Junior right-handed pitcher Sidne Peters started the game in the circle for the Aggies, bringing down six-straight batters with ease through the first two innings.
A&M’s leadoff hitters struggled to find any momentum, returning to the dugout without a single hit in the first frame.
“In the first inning, we didn’t execute,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “Our goal is always to score first. Obviously, that didn’t happen in the first inning, but it did happen as the game went on. As the information passes through the lineup and our hitters see pitches multiple times, that’s when I always start to feel better.”
A&M lands first blow
With senior third baseman Kennedy Powell in scoring position, Kentucky’s third-inning efforts to prevent the big play led to its own demise. The Wildcats walked back-to-back hitters to load the bases for the Aggies and set the stage for sophomore catcher Ariel Kowalewski. With a sacrifice fly to left field, the Florida transfer brought home Powell to put A&M on the board first, 1-0.
The Aggies continued to find the gaps in the Wildcat outfield, plating a pair of runs in the fourth inning to push their lead to three. As A&M’s batters broke through, Peters didn’t budge. Through four frames, the Washington transfer recorded five strikeouts and allowed only a single hit.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction
Though the Aggies’ defense began to give way in the fifth inning, Peters came to the rescue. After the Wildcats’ leadoff batter took a free ride to first base, the Sante Fe, Texas native responded with her sixth strikeout of the game.
Three pitches later, freshman designated player Abby Hammond launched her third offering from Peters past the left field wall to put the Wildcats on the board, 3-2. Unfazed by the adversity, Peters responded with yet another strikeout.
In its final fifth-inning efforts, Kentucky struck through the left field gap with a double from freshman center fielder Alexa Riddel. Like clockwork, Peters got her get-back, pitching her third strikeout of the inning and eighth of the game.
“It’s one pitch at a time,” Peters said. “During those timeouts that you take, you’re resetting, knowing that you just have to throw your pitches and let your defense work behind you.”
Knockout punch
After scoring three runs in the fifth, A&M took advantage of Kentucky’s sixth-inning mistakes, quickly loading the bases with a pair of walks and a wild pitch. As senior designated player Micaela Wark stepped up to the plate, one swing of her bat changed the game.
The Oklahoma State transfer blasted her fifth homer past the center field wall, bringing home four runs to seal the Aggies’ 10-2 run-rule victory.
With the win, A&M moves to 3-1 in SEC play, pushing its overall record to 20-9. The Aggies will return to Davis Diamond on Saturday, March 21, for Game 2 of the series against the Wildcats with first pitch set for 4 p.m.
