On a cool, sunny afternoon in Oxford, Mississippi, the Texas A&M softball team went to work for the second time against the Ole Miss Rebels in front of a sparse crowd. After a Game 1 loss on Friday night, it was up to the No. 24 Aggies to tie up the series and improve their conference record.
The Aggies wasted no time flashing their offensive abilities, as sophomore SS Koko Wooley singled up the middle on the first pitch of the game. The next two Aggie batters were hit by pitches, loading the bases for junior C Julia Cottrill. She drove a single to right field, scoring Wooley. Senior RF Morgan Smith then crushed a double to right, scoring the three Aggies who were already on base. Cottrill was running so fast that she almost beat junior 1B Trinity Cannon, who was on second, to home plate.
After all of this action, which resulted in a pitching change for Ole Miss, the Rebels did not respond with any scoring of their own. This was the result of excellent pitching by senior RHP Madison Preston, who got two strikeouts in the first inning.
The second inning was expedited for the Aggies with three quick outs, including Wooley getting caught stealing at second after a single. The Aggie defense, however, did manage to get an impressive 6-4-3 double play to end the bottom of the second.
The Rebels’ offense came out strong in the bottom of the third with a home run by senior DP Mya Stevenson to open the frame. This made the score 4-1, but the Rebels were not done. After senior LF Tate Whitley walked, she managed to get to third base via a wild pitch and some impressive speed on the basepath. Senior 1B Paige Smith then drove her home with a single down the third base line. The inning finished with the Aggies’ lead reduced to 4-2 .
The Aggies responded exactly how they needed to in the top of the fourth. Wooley once again got on base, this time via a Rebel error, and Cannon was walked. Cottrill came up to the plate and again showed her clutch hitting ability. This time, she doubled and brought in two more runs for the Aggies, bringing her RBI total to three on the day. The score was now 6-2 in favor of the maroon and white.
Ole Miss had opportunities to get more runs on the board throughout the rest of the game, with perhaps its best opportunity coming in the bottom of the fifth inning. A single by Smith followed by a double from sophomore 2B Keila Kamoku looked like a sure chance for Rebel runs. However, sophomore RHP Emily Leavitt, who had come into the game in the third inning, got the final strike out and prevented any runs from being scored.
In the final two innings, the Aggies only got one hit and could not drive any runs across for insurance. Thus, it came down to the bottom of the seventh as Ole Miss needed four runs to extend the game. Freshman CF Jalia Lassiter got the inning started for the Rebs with a solo shot to left field. Immediately after this, sophomore RHP Emiley Kennedy got the call for relief and quickly got the last three outs of the game, striking out Smith to get the win.
“It was important for us to come out today with good energy and kind of quiet them early,” coach Trisha Ford told 12thMan.com. “Overall, I was proud of our effort, our focus and ability to come out and win a ballgame.”
The Aggies get a chance to win the series against Ole Miss on Sunday, April 23, at 1 p.m. After this, they get Prairie View A&M on April 25 before taking on Missouri for a crucial SEC series at home after their last couple weekends have been on the road.