The eyes of Texas were upon No. 15 Texas A&M softball on Friday, March 27, as it traveled to Austin for the Lonestar Showdown against No. 1 Texas. The Aggies’ weekend series marked the first regular-season meeting between the rivals since the Longhorns joined the Southeastern Conference in 2024. To take Game 1 in a seven-inning shootout, Texas outlasted A&M in a 9-8 walk-off victory.
Senior third baseman Kennedy Powell started in the batter’s box for the Aggies with a single to center field. Junior first baseman Mya Perez contributed her fair share in the first inning with a single of her own, advancing the UCLA transfer to second. With a right field fly-out by the Aggies’ three-hole hitter, Powell reached third base. Senior designated player Micaela Wark put A&M on the board first with a single to left field for her 46th RBI of the year and a 1-0 lead.
Only three pitches into the bottom of the first, the Longhorns responded with a pair of solo homers from junior center fielder Kayden Henry and junior shortstop Viviana Martinez.
Facing a 2-1 deficit, sophomore SS KK Dement made her way around the bases in the second inning to tie the game at two apiece, thanks to a single from Powell and a bunt by sophomore left fielder Paislie Allen.
The back-and-forth brawl continued into the third frame, where the in-state foes traded a pair of three-run offensive outings. Tied at five apiece, A&M found little production in the circle from its star pitchers.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Sydney Lessentine led the charge through 2.1 innings, recording four strikeouts but allowing five runs off five hits. The Aggies turned to sophomore RHP Kate Munnerlyn in the third inning, where she recorded only one strikeout and allowed a single run off a single hit.
With both teams adding three runs to its score, neither A&M nor Texas could find separation in the fourth and fifth innings.
The Maroon and White broke the stalemate in the top of the fourth with a two-run blast from Wark for a 7-5 advantage.
Going tit-for-tat at the turn of the inning, Texas answered with an RBI single to center field, followed immediately by a right field hit by Perez to reestablish A&M’s two-run lead. The Longhorns plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, stealing the Aggies’ momentum and tying the game at eight.
In the midst of an offensive slump, A&M turned to junior RHP Sidne Peters in the bottom of the seventh to no avail. Without a single out, the Washington transfer hit junior 1B Katie Stewart with a pitch, loading the bases for the Longhorns. In a desperate move, the Aggies brought in senior RHP Grace Sparks to get them out of the jam.
By simply putting the ball in play, Texas landed the knockout punch with a fielder’s choice RBI for the 9-8 walk-off victory to take the opening game of the series.
The loss pushes A&M’s record to 5-2 in SEC play and 23-10 overall. The Aggies will stay in Austin for the second game of the series against the Longhorns on Saturday, March 28, at Red & Charline McCombs Field at 1 p.m.
