Texas A&M softball lost to No. 23 Wichita State, 9-7, at the Norman Regional in the NCAA Division 1 Championships on Friday, May 21, lowering its overall record to 31-22.
Wichita State started the game off in the first inning with a two run home run, garnering a 2-0 lead going into the second.
The Aggies added a run in the second as sophomore Shaylee Ackerman was brought home after freshman Rylen Wiggins hit a groundout.
After junior Haley Lee was walked in the third inning, freshman Bre Warren hit a homer, shortening Wichita’s lead to 4-3.
The Shockers tacked on five runs to their score in the bottom of the fifth after a series of singles and doubles, advancing their lead to 9-3 going into the final innings of the game.
Sophomore Star Ferguson pinch ran and scored in the top of the sixth after the Aggies loaded the bases due to a series of walks by the Wichita pitcher.
Going into the seventh, A&M loaded the bases yet again and managed to add a score to the board after junior Morgan Smith was walked. With an additional score and bases loaded, senior Dani Elder doubled to the left adding two more scores to the Aggies’ total.
Despite making efforts to stay alive, Wichita closed out the inning and sealed the game 9-7.
“When you have a team that’s going to answer back like that, it gives you a chance to win a ballgame,” A&M Coach Jo Evans said.
With their efforts made in the seventh, Evans said the Aggies will go into the second game of the regional with strong ambition to stay alive.
“We came here to win,” Evans said. “To me, it’s not out of our reach to go out tomorrow and win two games and play in the championship game on Sunday.”
Even though a loss was handed to the Aggies, they managed to show why they are in Norman. A&M wrapped the game up with five hits in total.
“It was really encouraging to see and will be good going into tomorrow with a lot of momentum,” said Warren.
A&M’s next match is against Morgan State on Saturday, May 22. With first pitch set for 5:30 p.m. in Norman, the Aggies face a win-or-go-home situation.