Following a historic 18-0 victory over Saint Francis, No. 1 Texas A&M softball’s quest to Oklahoma City for a date in the Women’s College World Series took a detour with a 8-5 loss to Liberty. This marks the Aggies first defeat since May 1, and punishes them with a 6 p.m. elimination game against the winner of Marist and Saint Francis on Saturday, May 17.
“You can see Texas A&M softball out there with a No. 1 overall ranking and deservingly so, but then that goes to show you where Liberty softball sits too,” Liberty coach Dot Richardson said. “Being able to see the Flames fight, it is an example of who we are as a team and what we are capable of.”
The story of the Aggies’ success has been ongoing since head coach Trisha Ford took over as commander-in-chief of the softball program in 2022. In just three years of work, Ford has guided her squad to a three-peat of NCAA Regional appearances, as well as the highest tournament seeding in school history with the No.1 overall seed this year.
While Ford’s leadership has been paramount in shaping the Maroon and White into a national powerhouse, key returners and transfers have led the way to a dominant, 16-7 Southeastern Conference record. Additionally, a combined score of 44-6 through its last three opponents has made A&M a scary sight to behold.
Saturday’s competition, however, sent ripples against the Aggies’ recent dominance as senior left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy got off to a rocky start when she loaded the bases early in the first inning. But the Fightin’ Farmers remained undeterred, halting the Flames advance before driving any runs home.
With Liberty’s hunger to advance, Ford and Co. had a tall task in corralling a dynamic offense that put up 10 runs in Friday afternoon’s victory over Marist.
A breakthrough came in the bottom of the second inning as luck, power and control led the way for the Aggies’ first lead. With bases loaded, an infield single allowed surging junior first baseman Amari Harper to make a contested play at the plate; upon confirmation, Harper scored the first Maroon and White run of the afternoon.
The scoring party continued to send out invitations as errors and base hits kept the RBI machine churning. Mismanaged situational plays in addition to dropped balls made it certain for the Flames to remain rattled as the Aggies’ offense boiled over. It wasn’t until a flyout finally ended a four-run inning and gave the hosts the lead.
In a fight against the deficit, an RBI-triple brought home Liberty’s first run of the afternoon, while the ensuing pitch was a no-doubt home run into right field as the A&M lead was cut to one.
Liberty’s determination rattled the Maroon and White as their previous four competitions ended in a run-rule victory after five innings. The Aggies’ closest margin of victory before their playoff stretch was a 1-0 victory over then-No. 2 Tennessee on May 1, so having an opponent threatening to take control was something foreign to the dominant Aggie team. seen for the last two weeks.
An extra insurance run in the third gave A&M a slim, two-run advantage, but up-and-down play from Kennedy left the fate of the game hanging in the balance through the late frames. When a dropped pitch opened a lane for the Flames to score once again, it was time for Kennedy to deliver as she has done time and time again.
Unfortunately, there would be no such luck in this game as a two-run RBI-single captured the lead for Liberty, with the subsequent pitch being a two-run homer that put A&M in a deeper 8-5 hole. It was time for another Aggie rally as the Flames continued to display their tenacity.
“We all had quality at-bats and knew if we stuck to what we were doing, we were going to be able to capitalize,” senior center fielder KK Madrey said. “We just did what we were taught to do and we were able to go out there and get those runs.”
Despite their successful second and third innings, the Aggies’ offense was unable to generate any further runs as the Flames hung onto both the momentum and the lead. An uncharacteristically rough time on the mound for Kennedy brought about multiple do-or-die innings on offense for the Maroon and White.
A last-ditch effort was in store for the Fightin’ Farmers as Kennedy contained the damage after the top of the seventh, though her supporting cast had to notch at least three more runs off their last three outs if there were any hopes for a win left.
With two outs and a runner on third, Harper stepped up to the plate for the fourth time. After two walks, it was time for her to cash in after being issued free passes in her at-bats. Unfortunately for Harper, she would go down on strikes as the Aggies fell into the elimination bracket.
“The problem is we didn’t play Texas A&M softball today,” Ford said. “We’ve got to sit down, regroup and be able to get ourselves ready to play the next game. It’s the postseason, anyone can beat anyone, and now we’ve got to get ready to go out there and win three straight.”
The Aggies will face the loser of Game Three of the Bryan-College Station Regional at 6 p.m on Saturday, May 17.
