Even after sloppy play, the Aggies found a way to win.
The No. 22 Texas A&M softball team (13-4) defeated the Houston Cougars (7-12) by a score of 6-3 at the Aggie Softball Complex Wednesday night.
This victory has some retribution tied into it as the Aggies fell to the Cougars in Houston last April. Head coach Jo Evans was pleased with the all-around performance of the club Wednesday night.
“I’m always happy to get a win,” Evans said. “We had a lot of opportunities to put our opponent away early, but kind of let them hang around. I’m not going to bemoan a win. It’s always nice to get a win.”
A&M got off to a hot start from the batter’s box, with freshman Kristen Cuyos hitting a double down the left field line to put two players on base. Sophomore Reagan Boenker took full advantage of her opportunity, belting a no-doubt home run on the first pitch she saw above the scoreboard in left field.
“I went up [to the batter’s box] knowing that I was going to be aggressive in my first at bat of the game,” Boenker said. “When that first pitch came, I just swung and hit it.”
Senior Rachel Fox got the call from Jo Evans, and she did not disappoint. Fox pitched a complete game, allowing three runs in the victory. Fox said her teammates pick her up when she doesn’t have her best stuff at the mound.
“It’s nice to have support,” Fox said. “With getting games under our belt, we can understand situations where the other team will bunt or slap at our infield. We’re only just going to get better.”
The Aggies had a couple of blemishes in the third inning, with some errors from April Ryan and Cali Lanphear allowing the first runner to cross the plate for the Cougars. Lanphear redeemed herself with a two-RBI single on the first pitch in the fifth inning. In the bottom half of the inning, junior Selena Hernandez hit a similar double to the one that Cuyos hit a couple of innings prior that drew in another run for the Cougars.
The Aggies continue play this weekend at the Texas A&M Invitational at the Aggie Softball Complex. They open SEC play the following weekend against Kentucky in College Station.