The No. 20 Texas A&M softball team exploded with a six run fourth inning en route to run ruling Sam Houston State 9-1 on Wednesday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
The Aggies (20-5, 2-1 SEC) got back to their winning ways today under junior pitcher Katie Marks, who pitched five innings. She allowed two hits and one run to improve her record to 7-1 on the season.
The Aggies drew first blood in the first inning with an RBI walk from freshman Ashley Walters to drive in Tori Vidales. A&M continued its offensive machine in the third with back-to-back singles from Vidales and April Ryan to bring junior Cali Lanphear up to the plate. Lanphear struck out swinging and Walters hit into a fielder’s choice to extend the Aggie lead to 2-0.
Sam Houston State responded in the top half of the fourth with a solo homer over the outstretched hand of Brittany Clopton in left field for its only run of the game.
The Aggies blew the game open in the bottom half of the inning, plating six runs and going completely through the entire batting lineup. Sophomore Abby Donnell got things started with a 2 RBI double down the left field line to bring home Clopton and Reagan Boenker.
Tori Vidales took the next pitch and hit a single between the hole of shortstop and third base to drive Donnell home. The new pitcher on the mound, Taylor Atkinson, didn’t fair any better against the hot Aggie bats. Ryan came back up to the plate and smoked a double to the gap of left-center field to put Vidales and Ryan in scoring position. Lanphear was the following hitter and she smashed a delivery from Atkinson up the middle for a two run single. Sam Houston State finally got out of its misery with a pop up to the shortstop to get out of the inning. After the damage, the Aggies were leading 8-1.
The game finished with a single in the fifth inning to put the run rule in effect.
The Aggies are back in action on Friday in Starkville, Mississippi against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their first SEC action on the road.