After winning the first bout against No. 2 Tennessee on Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, No. 4 Texas A&M softball lost Game 2 but had a massive turnaround in the third game to clinch the series in their last regular season bout.
Game 2
After getting the hammer laid on them in the first five innings, the Aggies did not have time to make a comeback to upset the Vols before the seventh inning, falling 5-1.
From the get-go, the Vols took charge with some hard hits in the bottom of the first inning. Senior center fielder Kinsey Fielder was the first to touch home plate off a run batted in from senior catcher Sophia Nugent on a fielder’s choice. Right after, sophomore designated player Gabby Leach hit a fly ball out to center field, sending freshman left fielder Saviya Morgan to home for their second run of the inning.
The second and third innings showed no luck for either team, with senior right-handed pitcher Emily Leavitt for the Aggies and sophomore RHP Sage Mardjetko from the Vols holding strong without giving up any more runs.
Starting the fourth inning, the Maroon and White had two hits with back-to-back singles. First, senior shortstop Koko Wooley singled up the middle and sophomore DP Mya Perez moved her to second with a single towards center field. Unfortunately, the Aggies could not back it up and finished the top of the inning with zero runs to their name.
A&M fell further behind during the bottom of the fourth when Tennessee’s Nugent scored an immediate home run as the lead-off hitter of the inning. She sent the ball to left field adding another point to the Vols lead.
Inning No. 5 continued to leave the Aggies empty-handed, but senior LF Kramer Eschete had her best inning yet with a single hit to left field, advancing to second when Mardjetko threw a wild pitch.
Nugent connected again in the fifth, making contact good for another homer and sending the ball to left field. The Vols picked up two runs from the play with Morgan making it all the way, pushing the score to 5-0.
Things started to pick up in the top of the sixth inning for the Aggies as they scored their first run of the game. Perez singled to right center, sending Wooley home to put a point on the board. The high was short lived though, as the Maroon and White quickly got out on a double play and a groundout after the hit.
The Volunteers could not connect in the sixth inning, giving the Aggies a thread of hope heading into the final inning.
In the seventh inning the Aggies were unable to make a turnaround, getting only one hit for a single from Eschete before ultimately ending the game quickly after.
Game 3
The Aggies had major success in the last game of the series. Even though a rain delay postponed the third game, leaving the series for a Saturday morning series conclusion, it didn’t stop the Maroon and White, as they woke up ready to put on a show.
Heating things up right away, graduate DP Mac Barbara hit an RBI double, leading Wooley to home plate. Junior RF Amari Harper followed suit after Barbara for a two-run RBI double, driving Perez and Barbara home to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead right off the bat.
After no gain from the Vols in the bottom of the first, the Aggies showed dominance again in the second inning. The bases were empty as freshman outfielder Kelsey Mathis got the first run of the game – and her first ever home run as an Aggie.
Wooley drew a walk to first base and stole second, as Perez hit a sharp ground ball for a single leading Wooley back to home base.
After the top of the first two innings, the Aggies were up 5-0, before the weather would postpone the match for Saturday.
Upon resuming play, Tennessee gained a run in the bottom of the second from a Nugent homer, bringing the score to 5-1.
In the third inning for the Aggies, they took charge by adding four more runs to the scoreboard. Freshman second baseman KK Dement hit her first homer of the series, sending Harper home for another two runs to add on..
Throughout the rest of the inning, the Maroon and White earned another run from Mathis as Perez walked to first with the bases loaded, after a run from junior third baseman Kennedy Powell off of Barbara’s RBI single. The Aggies now had a 9-1 advantage.
Another run was gained from the Vols in the bottom of the third, but it wasn’t enough to get any momentum close to the lead. During the inning, senior LHP Emiley Kennedy reached a career achievement of over 550 strikeouts, solidifying her as one of the most dominant pitchers in Aggie history.
The fourth inning held no luck for either team with zero gain on either side.
The fifth and final inning had another massive strive from the Aggies as they tacked on four more runs. The first to score was Eschete off Mathis’ single. Next, Mathis made it to home base from an error by Perez. With bases loaded, Powell came home quickly after and finally followed Wooley, pushing the score to 13-2.
With no gain from Tennessee in the fifth inning, the game finished early due to run-rule after the 11-run lead by A&M.
Closing out regular season play, the Aggies will travel to Athens, Georgia, to take on the Southeastern Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed on May 8 in Jack Turner Stadium.
