No. 6 Texas A&M softball returned to Davis Diamond for Day 2 against No. 24 Alabama after a 5-4 win on Friday. Despite incredible defense by the Aggies, the Crimson Tide came out on top 2-1, tying the series.
“Today was a tough one,” coach Trisha Ford said. “ … It was about the little things. You know, we made some miscues and then we just didn’t get the big hit when you needed the big hit.”
Freshman right-handed pitcher Sydney Lessentine got the start in the circle today for the Aggies, as she has been dominant in her debut season with a 2.02 ERA. Lessentine already has several accolades under her belt this season, recording nine strikeouts and throwing a no-hitter against George Washington, the first Aggie freshman to do so since 2008.
A couple of quick errors from the Aggies allowed the Crimson Tide to get on the board quickly, a feat largely due to the speed of freshman center fielder Audrey Vandagriff. But after settling in, Lessentine and the defense regrouped swiftly, getting three outs in a row to end the inning.
After a stolen base, nearly caught in a rundown and sliding into home plate, junior third baseman Kennedy Powell got her uniform dirty, working hard to tie up the ball game. The Conroe native is a perfect 14 for 14 on stolen bases this season.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>KP's on the move <a href=”https://twitter.com/Kennedyjp_1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Kennedyjp_1</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/GigEm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#GigEm</a> <a href=”https://t.co/wxSshbjors”>pic.twitter.com/wxSshbjors</a></p>— Texas A&M Softball (@AggieSoftball) <a href=”https://twitter.com/AggieSoftball/status/1903555895943889214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 22, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
The Tide got some baserunners on in the top of the third after sophomore shortstop Salen Hawkins walked, followed by a base hit from Vandagriff. After two strikeouts, Lessentine walked senior second baseman Kali Heivilin to load the bases. Keeping her cool, Lessentine got her third strikeout of the inning to leave three stranded, keeping the game tied 1-1.
After leaving three on base the previous inning, the Tide answered back with a hard-hit home run from senior right-handed pitcher Catelyn Riley, her first of the season.
The bottom of the fourth inning was a step in the right direction for the Aggies. Amari Harper was struck and sent to first, followed by a line drive from graduate designated player Mac Barbara. Despite having two baserunners with no outs, the Aggies couldn’t execute, as the next three outs were pop-ups right at the defense.
Davis Diamond got loud after an incredible diving catch from Harper, getting a standing ovation on the play.
Alabama got the bats swinging in the top of the sixth, looking to tack on to their one-run lead. It got two baserunners early as senior 3B Brooke Ellestad was struck by a pitch, which was quickly followed by a nearly perfect bunt from sophomore pinch hitter Lauren Johnson.
It looked like the Tide was about to add on another run, yet they underestimated the arm of senior left fielder Kramer Eschete, who threw a laser from the outfield. The call at the plate was originally safe, but Trisha Ford and A&M knew to challenge the play. After a replay review, the call was overturned, and Davis Diamond erupted for the first time in a while.
It was grind time for the Aggies as they headed into the seventh inning down one, and they couldn’t afford to let the Tide add on any insurance runs. What looked like another base hit for the Tide turned into a double play, sending the home team to the bottom of the seventh ready to rally.
Ford turned to the bench looking for someone to get this offense going, and sure enough, the energy came from freshman pinch hitter Kelsey Mathis.
“Kelsey’s been working really hard,” Ford said. “I think she’s really grown up and developed this year already.”
Mathis got her first conference at-bat and hit, giving A&M a baserunner late in the game. But it wasn’t enough to pull off the win, as Alabama got three quick outs to secure the victory.
The series finale against the Tide is on Saturday, March 23, at 1:00 p.m.
