Through clear weather and a packed crowd celebrating to the theme of BTHO Cancer day, No. 3 Texas A&M softball hosted No. 6 LSU at Davis Diamond in a top 10 matchup on Friday.

The Maroon and White got off to a great start by throwing a three-and-out in the first inning. It got better for the Aggies at the plate, with junior right fielder Amari Harper and sophomore first baseman Mya Perez landing on first and second base. Graduate designated player Mac Barbara then slammed the ball 80mph out of the park, enough to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead.

But the Tigers would respond in the second inning with redshirt freshman 1B Tori Edwards, senior RF McKenzie Redoutey, sophomore DP Savanna Bedell and sophomore second baseman Maddox McKee bringing in four runs after some missed catches from the Maroon and White. Sophomore left fielder Jadyn Laneaux would zoom past home despite junior center fielder Jalia Lassiter getting out. To stop LSU from gaining more momentum, senior left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy threw two more strikeouts to bring the Aggies back to bat.

 Down by two entering the second inning, an error made by LSU on junior third baseman Kennedy Powell’s swing forced Powell to advance to second and freshman pinch runner Kelsey Mathis to third. Mathis raced home to bring in a run for the Aggies while Powell stole third. Perez would finish the job with a big swing to send a double to right field and help Powell even the score. 

Another scoreless drive at bat for LSU meant that A&M would have a chance to reclaim the lead in the fourth inning. Perez got the party started with a double as the ball almost sailed past the fence. She’d be pinched by sophomore PR Scout Lovell on second. After throwing back-to-back walks on Barbara and senior shortstop Koko Wooley, senior CF Allie Enright landed a hit around center field to bring the baserunners home. The Aggies would go on to score two more runs, leading 9-5 after the fourth. 

“The softball gods are paying her back,” coach Trisha Ford said. “That’s a kid who puts in a lot of work and somebody that I feel like the game knows.”

The Aggies continued their momentum in the fifth inning with another three-and-out on the Tigers. Although McKee would steal second to try to get the bases loaded, junior left fielder Kramer Eschete would force another out and bring A&M back on offense.

Perez continued to showcase as one of the top batters in the conference, with a big hit to right field that ended with her safely on second. Harper would advance to third while Powell brought another run home. Barbara would bring the boom, hitting on left field and going single while Harper would find her way into home base, bringing the score 11-5.

“I just want to get a quality at bat every time I get in the box,” Perez said. 

The Aggies’ defense held the Tigers to zero runs in the sixth inning and maintained another run from Powell to bring the score to 12-5. 

The Tigers would get two more runs to try to come back in the seventh inning. But their comeback chances would fall short as the Aggies’ defense railed strong with two final outs, winning 12-7. 

A&M returns to Davis Diamond for Game 2 against No. 6 LSU on Saturday, April 12, at 2 p.m.