On Sunday, April 3, Texas A&M softball completed its weekend series with a noon matchup against Abilene Christian. After dominant showings on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 earned the Aggies the series victory, the squad completed the sweep with a tamer 5-2 victory.
After a blank first inning, senior pitcher Makinzy Herzog belted the softball through center field for her third home run of the season, bringing home freshman infielder Katie Dack and giving the maroon and white a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, freshman infielder Cayden Baker added another run to give the Aggies a three-point cushion.
Following the victory, Herzog emphasized the importance of an early lead to build confidence within the team.
“I think it’s always a good confidence booster for our pitchers and our defense when we get ahead early in the game,” Herzog said. “I’ve been struggling with the bat for a little while now, but I’ve been working on it every day and am getting better and better, so I think I’m finally coming back to my old self.”
A pair of runs from the Wildcats in the third inning made the tally 3-2, but the Aggies would pull away in the bottom of the fourth. They earned their next run when a groundout from sophomore infielder Trinity Cannon batted in senior catcher Haley Lee. The lead was stretched further when a double from senior outfielder Morgan Smith brought home sophomore infielder Rylen Wiggins.
The A&M defense allowed a total of one hit throughout the next three innings to secure the 5-2 victory.
After a 2-7 start in conference play, the series with ACU gave the Aggies a string of wins before five-straight weeks of conference play from April 8 to May 8.
A&M coach Jo Evans said the series with the Wildcats proved this squad will play its brand of softball regardless of the perceived strength of its opponent.
“What I was concerned about coming into the game was if we would take it lightly because it wasn’t a conference opponent, and our team didn’t do that — that shows some maturity on the part of our players,” Evans said. “I’m really happy to see us get out and score a bunch of runs, and I thought our situational hitting today was very good.”
A&M’s season continues on Tuesday, April 5, when the squad will host Incarnate Word at Davis Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.
