The Aggie Softball Complex has been home to Aggie softball for 24 years and on Sunday, the facility saw its last game. No. 9 Texas A&M welcomed No. 20 Kentucky as the Wildcats avoided the sweep with a 3-2 win over the Aggies.
A&M had already won the series after winning the first two games, but the Aggies fall to 36-10 overall (9-6 SEC) with the loss, and Kentucky improves to 26-13 (4-10 SEC) with the win.
“I thought our pitchers did a good job today,” Aggie head coach Jo Evans said. “Holding them to three runs on day three is great when they’re a team who makes a lot of little adjustments. A couple of things go differently and it’s a totally different ballgame.”
Kentucky started the scoring in the second with one run on a single up the middle. Then, A&M answered with both of its runs in the bottom of the third when senior Ashley Walters doubled to score two runs.
Kentucky tied it up in the fifth on a solo home run, and took the lead in the sixth on a double. The Aggies battled in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, but ultimately couldn’t push a run across as they lost 3-2.
“We loaded the bases with nobody out and had every opportunity to win a ballgame in the sixth,” Evans said. “We just didn’t get it done. There were lots of opportunities that we just didn’t take advantage of.”
The Kentucky offense was led by freshman right fielder Lauren Johnson, senior center fielder Brooklin Hinz, and freshman designated player Mallory Peyton. Johnson went 2-3 on the day, Hinz went 1-2 with a walk and two runs scored, and Peyton went 1-2 with the solo home run. Kentucky sophomore relief pitcher Autumn Humes snagged the win for the Wildcats as she tossed five shutout innings, giving up just five hits and no walks.
The Aggie offense was led by senior catcher Ashley Walters, senior first baseman Tori Vidales, and sophomore right fielder Sarah Hudek. Walters went 2-4 with 2 RBIs, Vidales went 1-3 with a run scored, and Hudek went 1-4 with a run scored. Senior Trinity Harrington started the game for the Aggies and threw five innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and struck out three.
“It was a game of inches, and today it just wasn’t our day,” Evans said. “We’ll keep fighting and competing. That’s just the way the game goes sometimes. It’s not always going to be easy and it’s not always going to go our way, but if we weren’t getting those opportunities, then I wouldn’t be getting a lot of sleep at night, but we’ve had those opportunities.”
The Aggies will be back in action this weekend as they travel to Baton Rouge to take on the Tigers. Game one on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m.