No. 17 Texas A&M softball put its perfect season on the line for the Texas A&M Invitational as they host Stephen F. Austin, New Mexico and Missouri State this weekend.
The Aggies kicked off day one with an 8-0 shutout victory over SFA in five innings. A&M scored in the first inning of the of the game off the bat of sophomore Samantha Show, and continued to score every inning after. It was an explosive third inning that allowed the Aggies to end game quickly and move to 6-0 on the season.
Show moved to 3-0 on the season after throwing a complete game shutout. Show allowed four hits with no runs scored, striking out six of the 20 batters she faced and only giving one free pass on the day.
Following the game, Show said defeating SFA via the run rule, allowed her to keep her pitch count low which is crucial down the stretch in conference play.
“It was nice only throwing five innings,” Show said. “My pitch count was really low so that was good. 
In the second game of the day, junior Ashley Walters opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning with a three-run home run to give A&M the advantage over Missouri State. The following inning, sophomore Riley Sartain also went deep as she sent a ball into the scoreboard, driving in two runs to extend the Aggies’ lead to 5.
Walters said after a few at-bats against MSU’s starting pitcher Kaitlin Beason, she was able to get the pitch she wanted.
“I think hitting it hard on the screw [ball] gives you confidence going into the next at bat and hit the ball hard against the same pitcher and you can do the same thing,” Walters said. 
Junior transfer Lexi Smith started in the circle for the Aggies. In her second game with the maroon and white, Smith tossed a complete game allowing three hits, three walks and nine strike outs. 
Smith said she felt a lot more comfortable and relaxed in her second start on the mound which allowed her to perform the way she did against MSU.
“I felt like myself last week was my first game,” Smith said. “So I think I was really able to relax and throw the game I wanted to throw.”
Texas A&M head coach Jo Evans said she was pleased with the way her team has continued to show patience at the play which allows them to make to get the hits that they want. 
“I thought we were a lot more comfortable today and a lot more aggressive,” Evans said. “We did a good job going the other way, hitting opposite field and when you see us hitting home runs over the right field gap, it tells you we’re seeing the ball and staying right on it. I was pleased with that. We did a better job taking our walks today and we just look more comfortable at the plate than we have up to this point.”
 The Aggies move on to 7-0 on the season following Friday’s action. The maroon and white will return to the diamond Saturday for day two of the Texas A&M Invitational where they are set to face New Mexico at 12:15 p.m. and Missouri State at 3:00 p.m.