Aggies Christen Davis Diamond with Win
The No. 11 Texas A&M faced off with the No. 12 ranked Auburn Tigers Friday evening, for the inaugural game at the Aggie softball team’s new Davis Diamond. A&M defeated the Tigers 3-1, and take a 1-0 lead of the three game series between the teams.
Friday’s game saw the Aggies come alive in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on three hits to take the lead 3-0.
Scoring began with junior third baseman Riley Sartain hit a double to left center field to bring home sophomore outfielder Blake-Ann Fritsch to put A&M up 1-0. Sartain’s RBI was quickly followed by a deep single by sophomore designated player Kelbi Fortenberry who brought in Sartain and junior second baseman Kaitlyn Alderink to put the Aggies up 3-0 at the end of the fourth.
Sartain, who recorded the first run of the game, was excited to finally play in the new stadium and very happy to be a part of Aggie history.
“It was unbelievable, I can’t believe I was even given the opportunity to be in that situation with the runner in scoring position”, Sartain said about her scoring hit.
Sartain noted that the team’s preparation was key to their win.
“I feel we prepared very hard this week, we work hard every week, but especially this week we had some grit”, Sartain said.
Fortenberry, who made history by getting the first hit in the Davis Diamond, also noted that practice was crucial to this win.
“Coach Stein prepared me very well, I had a mindset to play, and everything else would come through from all the hard work… I was just looking to see ball, hit ball”, Fortenberry said.
Pitching for A&M was senior Trinity Harrington, who pitched through all seven innings, accumulating a stat line of one run on four hits, two strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.49.
A&M head coach Jo Evans praised Harrington’s performance and her composure under pressure.
“We felt comfortable with Harrington…once she got that first out we felt pretty comfortable, and then when we got a slapper out there we always want her up”, Evans said.
Auburn responded in the sixth inning with two hits, including a deep double hit to left center by Alyssa Rivera that brought in a run to make the game 3-1. This was all the Tigers could manage however, as they fouled out soon afterward, and couldn’t score later in the seventh.
Evans said she was pleased with Friday’s performance, noting that despite distractions, her team was mentally locked in to the game.
“I was thrilled to get the win tonight. I wanted this to be all about winning and not to get too caught up in all the excitement, and that’s really hard to do. I’m just really proud that we could come here with all the distractions, and just look settled in, look confident, and take over a game”, Evans said.
The Aggies improve to an overall record of 38-12, and are 11-8 in the SEC. A&M will continue the series with Auburn Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at the Davis Diamond.
