Texas A&M’s softball team is still a ways out from the regular season, but the Aggies returned to Davis Diamond on Saturday, Nov. 4 to face off with the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers.
Although it was just an exhibition, the game provided the Maroon and White with a chance to sharpen their skills for the upcoming season, with the Aggies ending up with an 8-1 win in 10 innings.
Junior LHP Emiley Kennedy started the game in the circle for the Aggies and gave up an early single, but got out of the inning unscathed. Last year, Kennedy had an ERA of 2.47 in 119 innings of work with 12 wins and five losses.
The Aggies got on the board first after a triple into right field from sophomore OFKeely Williams drove home a runner from second base.
The Pioneers couldn’t answer back after Kennedy struck out three-straight batters on missed swings.
In the bottom of the second, A&M added a run, followed by sophomore C Gracyn Coleman driving another run in off a double into right-center field. Senior 2B Rylen Wiggins drove a fly ball into deep right field, but the Pioneers retired the side down 3-0.
Junior SS Koko Wooley started the bottom of the third with a single, but the Pioneers turned a double play after a line drive straight to sophomore 2B Cristyna Del Hierro. TWU retired the inning still down, 3-0.
Graduate RHP Brooke Vestal took the mound to start the fourth inning for A&M and should have gone three-up, three-down, but an error by the Aggies allowed a fourth Pioneer to make a plate appearance. Vestal transferred in from Ole Miss, where last season, she logged 114.2 innings pitched and held opposing batters to a .174 batting average.
Vestal went on to retire the next three Pioneers she faced in the top of the fifth. In the top of sixth, junior RHP Emily Leavitt took the mound and got her first batter to ground out. Wiggins threw a runner out at second and the Pioneers grounded out to first to close the top half of the inning.
However, the Pioneers’ pitching and defense answered in the bottom of sixth. Wiggins led off for A&M, but a pop-fly to shallow center field was handled by the Pioneers. Wooley couldn’t beat out the throw to first on her ground-ball out. TWU closed the inning after a ground ball went straight to the first baseman.
TWU started the top of seventh with a single into right field from senior SS Makana Morton. Leavitt walked the next batter and a Pioneer sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out.
The Pioneers hit a ground ball to second, sophomore 2B Kylei Griffin threw home, and seemingly beat the runner from third, but the umpire called the Pioneers safe. The runner at second stayed on the play and after a walk, the Pioneers found themselves with runners on first and second with two out. Down to a 2-2 count, Leavitt ended the inning with a swinging strikeout with the Aggies up, 3-1.
The Aggies put another two runs on the board in the bottom of the seventh. The first run came after a single when the Pioneers’ throw went over the first baseman’s head and into the dugout, which sent a runner in from third. The second came from an infield ground ball where the Aggies beat out the Pioneer throw to home. The Pioneers retired the inning, but A&M stretched its lead to 5-1.
Senior OF Paige Lott started the bottom of the eighth with a walk; sophomore INF Kennedy Powell pinch ran for Lott and scored from first after back-to-back wild throws from the Pioneers. A walk and a double by Wooley put runners on second and third with two outs. Graduate OF Jazmine Hill finished it up by hitting a rocket into right field, which put the Aggies up 8-1.
In the top of the 10th, the last Pioneer batter struck out, ending the game in a 8-1 A&M win.
