The 2019 softball season is underway as the No.20 Texas A&M Aggies hosted the Aggie Classic at Davis Diamond. A&M welcomes North Texas, Cal Baptistand Northern Colorado for the weekend.
The Aggies picked up two run-rule wins on a very cold opening day. The first win was 9-1 over Cal Baptist, while the second was an 18-2 final over Northern Colorado.
A&M head coach Jo Evans still remains undefeated in opening day matchups
“It was definitely cold and I’m really pleased with how our team handled it,” Evans said. “Nobody complained, nobody felt sorry for themselves, they just went out and played and I thought we played at a pretty decent level considering the elements were not pleasant.”
Both teams scored in the first inning as it was just 3-1 Aggies until the bottom of the fourth when A&M put up six runs to seal the run-rule win. Junior pitcher Payton McBride started in the circle in the first game. She tossed four innings, giving up just one run on one hit and walking one. McBride struck out four batters and threw 60 pitches before freshman Hannah Mayo came in for the last inning and shut down the Lancers.
The top of the lineup held it down for the Aggies as McBride, freshman Baylee Klinglerand junior Kelbi Fortenberry led the way. McBride went 1-2 with three RBIs to complement her nice pitching performance, while Klingler went 2-3 with three RBIs and Fortenberry went 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
“It was an awesome experience being out with some of my best friends,” Klingler said. “It was everything I hoped for. The energy was awesome from all the girls and as far as the hits go, I was just trying to put runs on the board for my team and just help us get through the game.”
In the second game against Northern Colorado, the Aggies jumped ahead quick, scoring eight runs in the first two innings. A&M would fail to score in the third before putting up 10 runs in the fourth to seal the win.
Sophomore pitcher Kayla Poynter started in the circle for the Aggies. . Poynter threw four shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks while striking out four.
At the plate, the Aggies were led by senior Riley Sartain and freshman Morgan Smith. Sartain had a monster game, going 4-4 with two home runs and six RBIs, while Smith went 2-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored from the leadoff spot.
“This was definitely one for the books for me,” Sartain said. “It was just one of those days, it’s a game of ebb and flow and today I was lucky enough to be at the top of that and I’ll try to remember these moments for when I’m not feeling so good and not hitting the ball well.”
A&M continues the Aggie Classic Saturday as they take on Cal Baptist and North Texas. The doubleheader starts at 12:15 p.m at Davis Diamond.