Despite earning their first Southeastern Conference series win of the season last weekend, Texas A&M softball fell back into old habits against No. 11 Tennessee on Friday, falling 4-1 in game one.
A home run by senior infielder Riley Sartain in the top of the fifth inning tied the game 1-1, but the Aggies were unable to take the lead as Tennessee’s freshman pitcher Ashley Rogers struck out freshman center fielder Morgan Smith.
The Aggies’ luck ended there as the Tennessee offense knocked a 1-2 punch in the bottom of the fifth, scoring junior infielder Chelsea Seggern and senior outfielder Haley Bearden to extend the lead to 3-1 and put the game out of reach of A&M.
A&M struggled against a hot Tennessee defense, led by Rogers as she pitched a strikeout in the first inning to send the Aggies on a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Rogers shut down A&M’s offensive efforts by allowing one run on four hits and pitching five strikeouts in her seven innings on the mound.
The Tennessee offense followed up the defensive performance with success of its own. The Volunteers scored one run on two hits as Seggern notched a double to send senior infielder Aubrey Leach to home plate.
The Aggies then stepped up their defensive efforts to strand three runners on base. The defensive effort maintained steady through three more innings to prevent the Volunteers from widening their lead.
The A&M offense managed to earn some hits against Rogers, but it ultimately wasn’t enough as the Aggies couldn’t gain much traction against Tennessee.
Four Aggies notched one hit apiece on the night. Sartain’s fifth-inning homer gave her the Aggies’ only RBI of the night.
Tennessee managed to extend its lead to 4-1 in the sixth as junior outfielder Treasuary Pointedexter capped off scoring on an error by second base.
A&M’s defense remained the highlight of the game, allowing four runs on five hits and stranding seven runners on base. Junior pitcher Kendall Potts pitched the full six innings, adding four strikeouts to the Aggies’ defensive performance.
First pitch for game two of the series is slated for 1 p.m. on Saturday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.