Texas A&M softball’s second game against No. 10 Kentucky started out the same way as the first on Saturday did, but the ending was much better for the Aggies.
Up 2-1 heading into the third inning just like on Saturday, A&M didn’t let Sunday’s game slip through its hands. A pair of homeruns in the fourth helped the Aggies to a 6-3 win over Kentucky to even the series.
Sophomore Makinzy Herzog started the game with a leadoff double for the Aggies, her 10th double of the season. Haley Lee drove her in on a single and then scored on a single by Dani Elder. Kentucky loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but was unable to get anyone across the plate, leaving the score 2-0 at the end of the first inning.
Kentucky managed to get on the board in the second with one run.
A&M’s Kelbi Fortenberry answered with a triple and scored on a single by Ashlynn Walls in the top of the third to extend the Aggies’ lead to 3-1.
The Aggies’ bats came alive in the top of the fourth. Sophomore Morgan Smith hit her fourth home run of the season and Lee hit one shortly after her to left field. The pair of bombs increased A&M’s lead to 5-1 over Kentucky.
Lee crushed another hard-hit ball over the left-field fence in the top of the sixth, for her second homerun of the night and third of the series. The Wildcats’ Gabbi Deters managed to hit a two-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth, making it a three-run game.
Although Kentucky was able to close the gap on the Aggies’ lead late in the game, the Wildcats could not overcome the deficit.
Junior Kayla Poynter had a strong pitching performance by only allowing one earned run. After pitching her third complete game of the season, coach Jo Evans praised her performance.
“I thought she got better as the game went on,” Evans told 12thman.com. “She was just in a really good tempo and the way she’s throwing out there has been fun to see. I thought her presence on the mound was great.”
The maroon and white were victorious over the Wildcats in game two of the series with a final score of 6-3.
“I thought our kids had really quality at bats – looking for certain pitches they want to hit, being patient and being aggressive when those times come,” Evans told 12thman.com. “I’m really proud of the way our offense played. Overall, I’m just really happy, especially for us to put a complete game together.”