On a cold and windy afternoon, the Aggies succumbed to the conditions as the Cowgirls froze their winning streak.
In the first game of the Reveille Classic, Texas A&M suffered its first loss of the season against the No. 11 ranked Oklahoma State.
Back-to-back hits in the first inning allowed Oklahoma State to bring one home, marking senior pitcher Makinzy Herzog’s first allowed run of the season. However, Herzog adjusted and racked up four strikeouts and no runs throughout the rest of the six innings.
Herzog said the weather may have been a factor, but her nerves are what ultimately affected her performance in the circle.
“I wasn’t spinning it well in the beginning and commanding it in the zone very well, but as the game went on, that all got a lot better,” Herzog said. “I definitely had a lot of walks, and that’s something I’ve been trying to work on, but it’s just important that when you do get those walks, to go after the next batter. I think we did well with that, and my defense played well behind me.”
On offense, the Aggies struggled with the only hit in the game from junior left fielder Shaylee Ackerman in the seventh inning. The maroon and white drew five walks, with two from sophomore catcher Mayce Allen.
The impressive showing in the circle was expected from the Cowgirls; the surprise came from A&M’s ability to manage it, coach Jo Evans said.
“Kelly Maxwell [OSU] is a good pitcher, no question about it,” Evans said. “What she threw didn’t surprise me, but what surprised me was our lack of discipline. We got ahead of ourselves, but it’s a sign of a good pitcher. I think we had the opportunity for a lot more walks, even though we had five, but then we could have created some more pressure on the defense.”
The Reveille Classic continues on Sunday, Feb. 27 where they have a rematch against Oklahoma State and a game against Texas Southern in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
