With her first no-hitter as an Aggie, junior pitcher Makinzy Herzog led Texas A&M softball to a 5-1 win over McNeese State on Thursday, March 18.
Herzog pitched the full seven inning contest and struck out nine Cowgirls, just one shy of her career-high.
A&M coach Jo Evans said she was thrilled with Herzog’s performance in the pitching circle.
“Clearly, Makinzy Herzog was throwing great stuff tonight,” Evans said. “She gets her first no-hitter in her career and it’s always fun to have them get it at A&M. I was really excited about that.”
This was the Aggies’ second no-hitter of the season after graduate transfer and left-handed pitcher Kelsey Broadus recorded the first against Campbell on Saturday, March 6.
Against McNeese, Herzog had one run and one hit from her four at bats.
Herzog said it was the offensive success that prompted her to get comfortable enough to throw the no hitter.
“[The no-hitter] was really exciting,” Herzog said. “I just had to not think about it, usually when you think you’re going to throw a no hitter they end up getting a hit. So I just had to be sure I didn’t think about it. Big thanks to my team for scoring runs needed to help me settle in and be able to throw my own game.”
The highlight of the McNeese matchup was a home run with two on base from sophomore pitcher and outfielder Shaylee Ackerman.
A&M has now posted a home run in nine of its last 10 games. This was Ackerman’s fourth homer of the season, which also extended her hit streak to four.
Evans said the maroon and white’s offensive dominance in the first inning set a precedent for the remainder of the matchup.
“When we go up in that first inning and get a couple of runners on and then Ackerman getting the home run, that was a great way to set the tone,” Evans said.
McNeese only managed to answer in the bottom of the second, with a single unearned run scored off of an A&M throwing error.
However, the Aggies put two more points on the board immediately following in the top of the third. Junior outfielder Morgan Smith shot the ball over the Cowgirls’ third baseman to plate two.
Also noteworthy was junior catcher and utility player Haley Lee, who put up one hit and one run from her three at-bats.
While McNeese provided a worthy opponent, Evans said her team shut the Cowgirls down.
“I’m really pleased with our performance tonight,” Evans said. “We knew coming in here that we would be getting a really great game out of McNeese. They’ve been playing really well and they’re a team that runs a lot and are very aggressive. Tonight we completely shut down their running game.”
A&M previously played SEC opponent then-No. 25 Tennessee in a close 3-2 loss during the Reveille Classic. While it was a loss, the close call with a foul ball from the Aggies in the last inning showed A&M’s fight and potential facing SEC opponents.
The Aggies will officially kick off SEC play against LSU in a three game series in Baton Rouge, La. First pitch of the first game is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. The contest can be watched on SEC Network+.