No. 7 Texas A&M Softball slid into yet another win against Southeastern Louisiana, 3-2, in a rollercoaster of a game packed with errors and nail-biting plays threw both Aggie and Lion fans for a curveball.
Following Southeastern Louisiana’s lackluster start to the game, A&M secured its first two runs in the bottom of the first inning with sensational plays by junior infielder Kennedy Powell and graduate designated player Mac Barbara. With Powell itching to push off from first base and Barbara adjusting her grip around the hilt of her bat with two strikes already breathing down her neck, it was a celebratory hit to left field that sent Powell around the bags and Barbara to first.
Up next, sophomore first baseman Mya Perez’s hit paved the road to home for Powell and Barbara as Louisiana struggled to get their glove on the slippery ball. Senior center fielder Allie Enright harnessed the winning spirit by smoking a ball after facing down two strikes with a double into left field, her third double of the season and second of the weekend.
The Aggies sported million-dollar grins while strapping on their gloves for a defensive top of the third, now up 2-0. However, Louisiana senior INF Maddie Watson wiped those smiles from the Maroon and White faces with a strategic hit less than 10 feet into fair territory. The ball rolled off her bat and towards third base, granting Watson a temporary home on first.
The top of the inning still ended in favor of the Fightin’ Farmers with a double play for A&M, who held two strikes against Southeastern Louisiana and soon collected an early leave from runner Watson, who was too impulsive in her splitting from first.
It was starting to look like the Lions were blinded by their manes, but once the dust settled, the Aggies slipped. Within a mere three pitches, A&M was already trading in their batting helmets for face guards, shoulders sagging and feet dragging as they took field positions for the top of the third.
A&M freshman left-handed pitcher Kate Munnerlyn kept green and gold uniforms confused with change-up pitches, and it showed as Southeastern Louisiana still hadn’t collected any points to feed their fans.
The outlook remained bleak for the Lions as the game barrelled into the belly of the third with junior second baseman Amari Harper hitting a ball to the wall. The softball rang against her bat as her toes dug into the earth in a perfect pivot. Harper rounded first effortlessly, gunning for second base while Aggie fans rose in a chorus of cheers. The teeth of her cleats ate at the ground as she dipped downward in a cloud of red dirt, gliding into the bag with eyes pinched against the sting of flying dust.
Unfortunately for the Aggies, Harper would get no further than third base with Southeastern Louisiana senior OF Shentia Tucker catching a fly ball hit by Enright and plunging the match into the fourth inning.
It’s not Christmas, but the Aggies gifted the Lions a pair of points in the top of the fifth by way of two errors at the hands of junior catcher Gracyn Coleman. It was a hair-pulling sequence of events that made for arguably one of the roughest defensive innings for A&M softball’s time at the Classic.
Coleman attempted a backward throw down the line to left field before spiking the ball to the ground. Whilst the softball landed in all the wrong places, first base was left uncovered and open for junior OF Kailey Dixon to not only put a foot on the bag but also hurriedly steal second to further advance to third. Both Dixon and her teammate senior OF Brilee Broussard scoured for SLU, unearned, tying the teams at two.
The A&M dugout morphed into a round-table meeting as coach Trisha Ford addressed the faulty judgment that will haunt Coleman.
An Aggie comeback was hanging in the air as the bottom of the fifth peeked around the corner. At first, it looked as if senior left fielder Kramer Eschete would embody the recovery as she singled up the middle and stamped a foot on first. Powell then bunted the ball, pushing Eschete to second base, though getting out herself at first. Eschete advanced to third on Barbara’s successful hit but progressed no further as A&M swiftly received its third out and was propelled into a defensive position.
Ford then switched out Munnerlyn for experienced senior LHP Emiley Kennedy at the pitcher’s mound. She made quick work of her role, throwing strike after strike and landing three rapid Southeastern Louisiana outs without any new runs added to the tied score.
As the bottom of the sixth began, Enright singled to center field and made her nest on first base after her teammate Harper flew out. A good throw from Tucker put a pin in the A&M victory as freshman shortstop KK Dement hit a fly ball that turned into an SLU double play, with both her and Enright forced from the field.
The top of the seventh for the Lions mirrored the bottom of the sixth for the Aggies, with the taste of success watered down and no runs earned. The belly of the seventh would be fattened, however, as freshman right fielder Frankie Vrazel stepped into the batter’s box.
Vrazel’s bat rang against the ball, slapping it into left field following a change-up pitch and frustrating strike. She was then thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice that kept Coleman safe at first. A&M sophomore OF Hailey Golden was substituted in to pinch run for Coleman. Following a hit up the middle by Eschete, Golden soared through second and advanced to third.
As every Aggie coach and player huddled together at home plate, the umpires gathered and the Lions clustered into a pack of their own as the clock counted down to the finish of a final time-out. In a last-resort play, SLU added another player to the mix, moving senior OF Ariel Gomez into Dixon’s outfield post and placing Dixon in right field.
All eyes were glued to third base, where A&M’s key to victory, Golden, inhaled dust and sweat, preparing to bolt as soon as the song of a bat colliding with the ball stilled the atmosphere. Powell was that song’s composer, bunting the ball in a single to the pitcher. Barbara advanced to third, Powell raced aside and Golden came sprinting home for A&M’s winning run.
The Aggies will now be on the road home, returning to play Texas State on Thursday, Feb. 27.
