The No. 7 Texas A&M faced off against Penn State Tuesday night as part of a two day double-header that features Penn State and Incarnate Word.
The Aggies, who are coming off of a strong performance against Louisiana Tech on Sunday, looked to continue their momentum as the season grows closer to conference play. A&M defeated the Nittany Lions 8-0, in a run-rule victory.
The night started off slow for the Nittany Lions, as junior pitcher Samantha Show was in the early stages of throwing a no-hitter. A&M head coach Jo Evans was said she was impressed with Show’s performance and her presence on the mound.
“When you don’t give up any hits, that’s a pretty darn good performance. I thought she showed good presence on the mound, and I thought Sam did a great job tonight,” Evans said.
Show said she tried to maintain her calm and steady approach that she has had all season.
“I just attack batters, knowing that I’m better than the person in the box, and I trust in my pitches and trust in my defense. I was just trying to get to get my field on and off the field to get back to hitting,” Show said.
The Aggies looked to continue their momentum at the plate that they found against Louisiana Tech on Sunday where A&M scored 10 runs in a run rule victory. The Aggies would score three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning against Penn State, thus and began the offensive onslaught that would come throughout Tuesday’s game.
Offensive consistency would prove to be a focal point of the game for A&M as they would go on to score a run in every inning. A&M ended the game by a run-rule victory at the end of the fifth inning, caused by a walk-off triple by freshman catcher Abby Smith.
Junior infielder Keeli Milligan led the Aggies in runs, getting to home-plate twice in the game. Milligan also showed off her speed with several stolen bases that helped the Aggies to get into scoring position throughout the game.
Evans praised Milligan, noting that Milligan uses both her wit and athleticism to help the Aggies.
“She’s looking really good, and really comfortable. I think she’s doing a nice job reading the defense, and seeing what they give her, and using her speed too. She can get out there and steal a base at any time,” Evans said.
The Aggies have now run-ruled two consecutive teams, and improve to a 19-3 record for the season, and has only one more game before they begin conference play on Friday vs Ole Miss.
The A&M will face Incarnate Word, Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at the Aggie Softball Complex.