After a 5-0 shutout victory over No. 5 Florida a day before, the Texas A&M softball team fell back to earth on Sunday.
Despite another strong showing by senior catcher Haley Lee and freshman shortstop Koko Wooley, the Aggies suffered an 11-3 loss to the Gators on March 20 at Davis Diamond. The defeat drops the maroon and white to 17-10 overall and 1-5 in SEC play after being swept by Auburn last week.
Lee and Wooley continued their reign as the top hitters on A&M’s roster, as the pair went a combined 5-for-6 at the plate on the day, with Lee recording two runs batted in and Wooley scoring two runs.
Florida jumped to an early lead in the opening frame after a wild pitch from freshman starting pitcher Emiley Kennedy scored redshirt junior shortstop Skylar Wallace from third. The Aggies responded quickly, as a sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Trinity Cannon scored Wooley to tie things up in the bottom half of the inning.
A&M then took what would be a short-lived lead in the third inning, as an RBI single up the middle from Lee scored Wooley. However, the Gators put up a five-piece in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a 3-run homer from senior outfielder Cheyenne Lindsey to retake a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.
Florida tacked on two insurance runs in the following inning by capitalizing on errors committed by the A&M defense. All in all, the three errors committed by the Aggies on the day led to four unearned runs for the Gators.
In the bottom of the fifth, Lee continued her perfect day at the plate by sending a pitch off the scoreboard to add a run for A&M: her sixth home run of the season. It was also the first long ball given up by Florida’s senior pitcher Elizabeth Hightower.
The Gators capped off their fiery offensive performance with a 3-run homer in the sixth inning from freshman designated player Reagan Walsh.
While the series may not have gone the Aggies’ way, coach Jo Evans said she is nonetheless impressed by how the team defied fans’ expectations.
“I thought that we fought hard today and this entire weekend,” Evans said. “We literally had a chance to win this series, and I don’t think anybody gave us a chance to win it.”
Evans also said she believes the series will give the Aggies’ confidence moving forward in conference play.
“Today, Florida scored one in the first inning, and we answered right back. I thought that was huge,” Evans said. “We had the opportunity to give us some cushion once we took the lead, but just understanding the positive things that went on and not dwelling on one inning, I do believe our team can gain a lot of confidence from knowing that we can compete with a great team like that.”
A&M will return to play as they host Houston Baptist on Wednesday, March 23 at Davis Diamond. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.