Texas A&M battles back to salvage series finale from Ole Miss, 4-3
A must-win.
After losing the first two games of the series, the Aggies played their hearts out and took down Ole Miss, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon.
The first three at-bats for Ole Miss were all routine ground balls to Rylen Wiggins at shortstop, but Wiggins fumbled the third ball, allowing the runner to make it safely to first. After a walk, the next batter would rip one deep to right off of Morgan Smith’s glove, giving the Rebels a quick 2-0 lead.
It looked like the Aggies might limp through another disappointing loss until freshman Bre Warren hit the right-field wall in the fourth inning, cutting the Rebels’ lead to one. Ashlynn Walls brought home the tying run in the next at-bat on a single.
Warren led the team with two hits and two RBIs on the day, making this one of her most successful games at the plate this season.
“It feels good to know our whole team was in it this game. Seeing everyone’s competitiveness was special too,” Warren said. “We definitely showed a different side that many people haven’t seen yet.”
Warren’s infield single in the fifth scored home two more runs after a throw from the Rebel catcher to third got away from the third baseman.
The Rebels added a run in the sixth and got two runners in scoring position in the seventh, but Makinzy Herzog slammed the door with Warren grabbing the final out on the warning track to get the Aggies out of the jam to claim the series finale.
In a series that could've gone either way in every game, head coach Jo Evans is glad the Aggies were on the other side of it today.
“It feels good to get the win today. I feel like we have had opportunities to win all three games. We showed a lot of fight and resilience,” said Evans. “It was nice to see our offense get it together today.”
The Aggies have seldom been able to come back from early deficits this season, and coach Evans says Sunday’s victory should tell the team something about themselves.
“It’s an important statement we make to ourselves; that we can make adjustments, that we can stay in the fight,” Evans said. “That we have the maturity, emotionally and mentally, to go out there and keep battling and believe in ourselves.”
The Aggies’ hopes of making the NCAA tournament are alive, but the team must build off of today’s game and find more success.
“There’s nothing like winning,” Evans said. “Especially because you feel like you're getting rewarded for your hard work and tough play. If you keep bringing that back day in and day out, the wins are going to come. This is a great opportunity for our team to continue to learn who we are.”
The Aggies return to Davis Diamond on Tuesday to take on the Houston Cougars. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m.