On Sunday, March 6, Texas A&M suffered a shut-out, 0-7 loss to Arizona State. The loss was the result of both an aggressive performance from the Sun Devils as well as the Aggies’ struggles catching up to them.
Freshman pitcher Emiley Kennedy managed to hold Arizona State in a stalemate for the first three innings. She gave up only two hits while striking out three Sun Devils. However, it fell apart for the maroon and white in the fourth inning with a solo home run by senior Sun Devil second baseman Jazmyn Rollin. Sophomore pitcher Grace Uribe relieved in the fifth but found no result as Arizona State took a two-RBI single to come up 3-0. The nail in the coffin came in the seventh inning when the Sun Devils added four runs to their lead.
Overall, it was a rough day in the circle with both Kennedy and Uribe totaling a combined seven errors and eight hits allowed. However, A&M’s struggles weren’t exclusive to the mound. Coach Jo Evans said the team has been struggling at the plate since the doubleheader on Day 1 of the tournament. Out of 25 at-bats, the Aggies only tallied four hits in the match.
The Judi Garman Classic had many highs and lows for the maroon and white, but in the end, they learned necessary lessons, Evans said.
“We came here to learn about ourselves, and we have,” Evans said. “We came here to assess our offense, our defense, our pitching staff, and I think we had some really bright spots. I saw us compete hard, and then we had times where we weren’t as good as we needed to be. It’s a lot of lessons learned, but it’s great to be on the road.”
Evans said despite the losses, the connections within the team remain secure.
“Our players had a good time together, and the team chemistry is good,” Evans said. “That’s important to develop. Now we look forward to getting home, getting back after it and getting ready for SEC play.”
Next, the Aggies return home to face Texas State on Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. The match will be the final game before A&M begins its SEC schedule.