Despite being just six days removed from an upset of No. 5 Arizona, Texas A&M softball fell in game two of a doubleheader against Sam Houston State on Wednesday.
Though the Aggies scored early in the game, they were unable to keep the momentum, giving up a three-run fifth inning that they could provide no answer to.
A&M coach Jo Evans said the Aggies’ inability to replicate the success they had at the Mary Nutter Classic a week ago is troubling.
“It’s disappointing not to build on what we did in California,” Evans told 12thman.com. “You look at the second game, and we had 13 free passes and strand 12 runners. We certainly had our opportunities, but defensively we made three errors. We had three unearned runs. We didn’t really pitch great. There wasn’t any facet of our game that we really did well. We essentially shot ourselves in the foot. 
In game two, the BearKats had six runs on 12 hits with four batters walked and four struck out.
A&M senior pitcher Kendall Potts got the start on the mound for A&M before freshman Ashley Daugherty replaced her at the top of the fifth inning. Each pitcher ended with two walked batters and three strikeouts.
But the Aggies weren’t the only ones struggling on the mound. Sam Houston’s pitching duo sophomore Regan Dunn and junior Annie Bailey combined for three runs on four hits, two errors, 11 batters walked and three strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first inning, a hit by pitch and a walk allowed sophomore pitcher Makinzy Herzog to reach third base. Sophomore utility player Morgan Smith then attempted to steal second and was caught, but Herzog made it home on the play to put A&M on the board first.
It didn’t take long for Sam Houston to respond, with junior outfielder Sheridan Fisher scoring on a single from Ervin. The Bearkats then took the lead as senior outfielder Megan McDonald notched a single to score freshman infielder Emily Telg.
Herzog then earned her third pitch of the day, singling to score junior infielder Ashlynn Walls and tying the game. Dunn then walked sophomore infielder Kayla Garcia and senior outfielder Kelbi Fortenberry and a throwing error on sophomore utility player Megan Smith’s at-bat allowed Garcia to score, putting the Aggies ahead 3-2.
The game remained a back-and-forth affair as Telg and McDonald added to Sam Houston’s score with a pair of runs.
Daugherty replaced Potts on the mound at the top of the fifth and saw a three-run inning as Sam Houston took a 6-3 victory.
Scoring was few and far between in the first game though.
After a scoreless five innings, Sam Houston kicked off scoring in the top of the sixth. With two outs, junior infielder Madilyn Weatherly advanced on a fielding error that allowed senior infielder Tiffany Thompson to score. A groundout followed to keep the score at 1-0.
The Aggies responded with two consecutive singles from Herzog and Smith to start the bottom of the sixth. A sacrifice bunt from sophomore catcher Haley Lee allowed them to advance to scoring position, and wild pitch brought Herzog home.
Freshman infielder Jourdyn Campbell followed up the tying score with a homerun to score Smith and give the Aggies a 3-0 lead.
A&M couldn’t keep its lead for long. After a double, a walk and a single to load the bases at the top of the seventh, Potts replaced junior Kay;a Poynter on the mound. Potts struck out the first batter she faced, but a fielding error on the next at-bat allowed Dunn and sophomore infielder Kyndal Kutac to tie the game.
Fortenberry answered the Bearkats’ two-run inning with a score of her own to help A&M retake the lead. Fortenberry kicked off the inning with a single, then stole second and advanced to third on a groundout from Walls. A fielder’s choice then brought her across the plate to make the final score 4-3.
The Aggies will next host the Aggie Classic this weekend at Davis Diamond. First pitch against Southeastern Louisiana is set for 5:15 p.m. on Friday.