After going 1-1 on Friday, the Aggies brought their hot-and-cold batting into the weekend.
On Saturday, March 5, Texas A&M softball competed in the second day of the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The showcase slated the Aggies in a doubleheader with a pair of Pac-12 teams in Utah and No. 5 UCLA.
The maroon and white opened the afternoon against the Utes. After each team blanked in the first inning, the Aggies drew blood first in the top of the second when sophomore infielder Rylen Wiggins barreled a solo home run over the left field fence to open the scoring. In the top of the third, senior catcher Haley Lee would earn a solo home run of her own, giving A&M a 2-0 advantage.
Utah would respond, batting in runs in each of the next two innings to tie the game, 2-2, heading into the sixth inning. At this point, something clicked for the A&M bats.
Sophomore infielder Trinity Cannon put the Aggies back on top with a right field single, bringing home freshman outfielder Alexis Tippit. Later in the inning, Wiggins uncorked her second home run of the afternoon, bringing home Cannon and senior outfielder Morgan Smith in the process.
When it seemed the onslaught of offense seized, sophomore outfielder Mayce Allen joined in on the fun with a solo home run that gave the Aggies a 7-2 lead to close out the inning.
Utah fought back in the bottom of the sixth when senior utility player Ellessa Bonstrom was brought home with a double by sophomore outfielder Sophie Jacquez, but the Utes were unable to continue the scoring run.
The Aggies continued to score in the top of the seventh inning. Smith brought home freshman infielder Koko Wooley to open the stanza, and a home run from Cannon brought home Lee and Smith to seal the 11-3 final.
After the opening game, A&M head coach Jo Evans said she was proud of her squad’s ability to feed off each other’s production in the later innings.
“Hitting is contagious, and so [are] scoring runs,” Evans said. “You have the expression, ‘Pass the bat back,’ and that’s what happened all day long. We had nearly everyone in our lineup get a hit. We had quality at-bats today, and I’m proud of our kids.”
In the evening matchup, the Bruins showed why they rank among the top teams in the country.
In the first inning, freshman utility player Savannah Pola doubled into left center field to bring home junior utility player Anna Vines and senior infielder Kinsley Washington, giving the Bruins a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, another double from Pola would score Vines, Washington and sophomore infielder Thessa Malau’ulu to make the score 5-0 after two innings.
After two more home runs and a runner scored off a single, the Bruins had stretched their advantage to 9-0. The Aggies got on the board in the bottom of the third inning when Smith scored on a past ball that brought the tally to 9-1.
UCLA would tack on three-straight solo home runs to open the fourth inning before Malau’ulu and sophomore outfielder Lauren Carter scored off an error to give the Bruins a 13-run advantage. The Aggies would respond when a single from Lee allowed sophomore infielder Mariana Torres to score, but 14-2 would be all she wrote for the squads.
The 14 runs surrendered by the Aggies were the most so far this season by a wide margin, eight more than the six they gave up in a 13-6 victory over Sam Houston in February.
The Aggies play their final game of the Judi Garman Classic on Sunday, March 6, taking on No. 23 Arizona State at 11 a.m. at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif.