The Texas A&M softball team defeated Mississippi State 8-1 on Sunday afternoon, clinching the series in Starkville.
After dropping Game 2 to the Bulldogs on Saturday night, the Aggies displayed a great pitching performance by junior Makinzy Herzog, a trio of home runs and clean defense on Sunday.
Herzog carried A&M in the circle for the entirety of the game, striking out six and limiting the Bulldogs to just three hits on the day. This marked Herzog’s 12th complete game of the season and 11th victory while on the mound.
The junior utility player also contributed offensively, recording two home runs in the series finale. Herzog’s first home run of the day came in the third inning which put the Aggies on the board first, followed by a pair of hits from junior Morgan Smith and sophomore Shaylee Ackerman which plated another to give A&M a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth.
Herzog launched her second home run of the day, 11th of the season, in the fourth to add to the Aggies’ lead, then continued to hold Mississippi State scoreless until the Bulldogs managed to bring one around in the fifth.
The maroon and white scored another run off of a bases-loaded walk in the sixth before junior Haley Lee hit a two-run homerun in the seventh. Lee has contributed 21 of the Aggies’ 62 home runs recorded this season.
The Aggies then took advantage of a handful of fielding errors made by the Bulldogs when freshman Bre Warren recorded a two-run RBI to make for a lopsided final score of 8-1.
Up next, A&M will take on No. 14 Kentucky at Davis Diamond for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 30. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.