A windy Sunday afternoon saw No. 14 Texas A&M conclude its weekend series against No. 25 Auburn with a game to remember on Sunday, March 24 on a Davis Diamond field that had painted red, white and blue stripes for Military Appreciation Day.
After going down 6-1 in the second inning, the Maroon and White stormed back and beat Auburn 14-6 in a run-ruled five inning affair.
“We are never out of a game,” coach Trisha Ford said. “We have a ton of fight.”
The first inning began with a quick pop-up that fell right into junior SS Koko Wooley’s hands. The Tigers ended the first inning scoreless as senior RHP Brooke Vestal was able to strike out two Tigers.
On the first pitch of the bottom of the first, Wooley hit a single down the left field line to take first. During the next play, Wooley stole second and was able to advance to third off of an error from sophomore C Skylar Elkins.
However, Auburn’s defense was not ready and Wooley stole home to score the first run of the game for the Aggies. The Tiger’s challenge to Wooley’s run was unsuccessful and left A&M up 1-0 at the end of the first.
The top of the second began with junior 1B Amelia Lech walking to first, and junior SS Nelia Peralta advancing Lech to second with a single through the left side. A bunt from Elkins advanced Peralta to second and Lech to third. Then with the bases loaded, junior 3B Annabelle Widra singled up the middle to send Lech home to tie the game at 1-1 while also advancing Peralta to third and Elkins to second.
Another score for the Tigers followed with junior LF Abbey Smith walking to first and advancing Eklins and Widra to third and second while allowing Peralta to walk home to put Auburn up 2-1 on the Aggies. Ford then made the call to sub out Vestal for junior RHP Emily Leavitt.
A reach off of a bunt up the middle from junior DP Anna Wolhers got out Eklins at home, but advanced Widra to third and Smith to second. The Tigers then added to their lead with a grand slam into left field from freshman DP Mariah Penta that sent home Widra, Smith and Wohlers to put Auburn up 6-1.
The third inning saw the Aggies prevent Auburn from scoring any more runs as Leavitt struck out two Tigers before Wooley grounded out Elkins to close out the top of the third.
A single into right field from sophomore 3B Kennedy Powell got things started for the Aggies in the bottom of the third. However, the next two Aggies both got out and left A&M with only one more out before the inning was over. Luckily for A&M, senior CF Jazmine Hill hit the ball into the sky for a double that advanced Powell all the way home to make it 6-2.
Up next for the Aggies was senior DP Trinity Cannon, who came in and hit a homer over the scoreboard so she and Hill could both run it home to cut the lead to two runs. That home run put her at 10 for the year.
The Aggies were not done in the third inning just yet, as senior C Julia Cottrill walked to first to follow the home run. Davis Diamond, filling back up with the energy that seemed all but lost in the second inning, bursted with joy as junior RF Allie Enright homered a ball that bounced off the scoreboard while she and Cottrill ran it home to tie the game at six runs for both the Tigers and Aggies.
“We had a lot of game left,” Enright said. “We knew we could come back.”
A&M’s defense held strong in the fourth, with Leavitt striking out two more Tigers to close out the top of the fourth inning.
The offense for the Maroon and White made a statement in the fourth. Powell singled to first to kick things off, with Wooley following her with a bunt to advance her to second. A sacrifice bunt from sophomore 1B Amari Harper advanced Wooley to second and Powell to third. The bases were then loaded for the Aggies as Hill walked to first.
Davis’ crowd roared in anticipation as Cannon was at the plate. However, Auburn only allowed her to walk but it was still enough to send Powell home to take the lead for the Aggies.
Cannon was subbed in for freshman PR Scout Lovell, who made it to third off of a botched throw from Auburn after Cottrill hit a single that Hill and Wooley scored off of that made it 9-6 for A&M while Cottrill made it to second from the throw.
Another sub for A&M came as Ford subbed in senior PR Sav Price for Cottrill. Following that, a double from Enright sent home Lovel and Price to put the Aggies up five runs. The final score of the fourth inning came with a homer from senior 2B Rylen Wiggins that allowed her and Enright to run it home, which made it a 13-6 ball game.
The top of the fifth inning ended with A&M shutting down the Tigers, and Leavitt striking out her fifth Tiger of the game.
A walk off home run to center field from Wooley ended the game in the fifth inning with the Aggies on top 14-6, with A&M’s roster running onto the field jumping with joy as bubbles filled the stadium.
“We really fight to the end,” Wooley said. “Don’t count us out.”
The Maroon and White go on to play a series against No. 2 LSU that starts on Thursday, March 28.
“You want to take this and grow from that,” Ford said. “Now they know we can come back.”