After a rough series against Auburn, Texas A&M shifted its focus and further highlighted its dominant offense in its 6-2 win over Sam Houston on Tuesday, March 15.
In the first inning, sophomore third baseman Trinity Cannon launched an RBI double to get two runs on the board early for the Aggies. A&M’s momentum continued in the second inning with an RBI single from freshman shortstop Koko Wooley and a home run from Cannon. The pressure from the maroon and white forced the Bearkats into a pitcher change in only the second inning.
Freshman center and left fielder Cayden Baker took advantage of a wild pitch in the fourth to add another run on the board, bringing the Aggies’ lead to 5-0. However, Sam Houston used a single to rush two runs home and cut the lead to three. Cannon returned to the plate in the sixth to hit a single which brought senior designated player Makinzy Herzog home and secured A&M’s victory, 6-2.
Coach Jo Evans said the freshmen are the ones who truly stepped up to the plate and grew in this game.
“You can see how Koko Wooley has settled in and is really taking charge out there,” Evans said. “Cayden Baker’s doing a nice job, whether she’s in center or left. She’s really able to help us out and get good reads out there. It just makes us better. Our freshman class is doing a really great job for us. We don’t expect them to be perfect, but we do expect them to contribute, and they are contributing in a big way.”
Cannon was 2-for-3 at the plate, dominating on offense with four RBIs and a home run to her name. Cannon said the team took a moment to re-evaluate following the tough weekend, and that is what led to the improvement in performance.
“We had a good morning practice and talked about who we really are,” Cannon said. “We were reminded that we have the items that we needed to beat them, so we came out against Sam Houston taking it very seriously, and I think we handled it very well. Everything from our team chemistry, and everybody piecing hits together, went really well.”
Sophomore pitcher Grace Uribe ran the circle for the Aggies, pitching for all seven innings with five hits and two strikeouts. The sophomore’s performance allowed the other pitchers to rest before the weekend’s games, Evans said.
“We really needed that win after a disappointing weekend at Auburn,” Evans said. “It was really nice to come right back and get a win against a quality opponent. I thought Grace Uribe did a really nice job in the circle by eating up a lot of innings for us tonight and letting our other pitchers have some rest.”
A&M returns to SEC play March 18-20 to host No. 5 Florida in a three-game series.