Texas A&M earns series victory over ACU with another run-rule win, 9-1
Texas A&M softball (21-12, 2-7) clinched their first series win of the season with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Abilene Christian on Saturday afternoon at Davis Diamond.
“At the end of the day, it’s about taking care of business in whoever you’re playing,” Texas A&M head coach Jo Evans said. “For us to be going up there and getting multiple runs in those innings just really takes the wind out of our opponent’s sails.
“I thought we did a nice job. What I thought we did really well was just our approach at the plate with the zone. I don’t think we chased any bad pitches and took nine walks on the day against a really good pitcher.”
After a lackluster one-hit outing in yesterday’s series opener, the Wildcats accumulated three hits in the first two innings against Makinzy Herzog. Facing early traffic in both frames, Herzog persevered and escaped back-to-back bases-loaded jams.
Herzog eventually found a steady rhythm in the circle, finishing with six strikeouts through four innings of work while only allowing one walk and one run in her sixth victory of the year.
“We had a tight zone back there, but I kept taking my deep breaths and trusting my preparation that I had been going through for the past couple of weeks,” Herzog said. “Just threw my pitches the best that I could, and I always knew that my offense was going to come through too, so that helped me relax a little as well.”
The Aggie offense was set in motion by a pair of bases-loaded walks to take an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.
With only one out, Cayden Baker sent a line drive past second base to plate a sliding Morgan Smith. Katie Dack then reached home on a fielder’s choice to cap off an explosive four-run first fueled by four free bases.
In the second inning, Smith bunted for a base hit on a full count, with Haley Lee scoring on a throwing error to scratch across another run. A subsequent wild pitch allowed Trinity Cannon to come home and give the Aggies a 6-0 cushion.
Herzog gave up a wild pitch of her own in the third inning that accounted for ACU’s lone score of the game, erasing the chance for another shutout.
Koko Wooley added another run in the bottom of the third before the Ags scored two more in the fourth, which was more than enough to put the game out of striking distance and win the series in another dominant outing.
Unlike Friday’s hard-hitting offense, the Aggies made ample use of three ACU errors and nine walks to earn their 11th run-rule victory of the season.
“I think we’ve been really good at that, actually. When our opponent makes a mistake or error, we’re good at taking advantage of it. We’re good at scoring in those situations,” Evans said. “I also think a good ball club is going to find lots of different ways to win.”
The Aggies look to secure their first series sweep of the season in Sunday’s finale. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. CT.