No. 19 A&M secures first SEC series sweep of Ford era with 5-1 win
Sparks flew over Davis Diamond after No. 19 Texas A&M claimed a 5-1 victory over Mississippi State on Monday and celebrated its first conference sweep since 2021.
“I am very happy with this weekend,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “Beating a team three times in a row, three days in a row is impressive and hard to do no matter what. I felt like we were laboring a little bit early on in the game.”
The Aggies have seen an uptick in offensive production, as they outscored the Bulldogs 16-3 over the series. Two of those runs came in the first inning of Monday’s win as Koko Wooley scored on an RBI single from Trinity Cannon and Morgan Smith drove in Cannon.
“[The sweep] puts us in a good position,” Wooley said. “We just gotta keep fighting, keep working.”
Shaylee Ackerman began in the circle for the Aggies, holding the Bulldogs scoreless until the third when Mississippi State took advantage on a wild pitch for its only run of the night.
Emiley Kennedy relieved Ackerman in the fourth and halted any more scoring, only allowing one hit and striking out two.
“I felt like Shaylee [Ackerman] was trying to find her rhythm, and she did a good job getting us a couple of innings, and Emiley Kennedy was lights out again tonight,” Ford said.
The Aggies were pushed to a four-run advantage in the fourth thanks to Wooley’s two-run triple, which brought home Keely Williams and Amari Harper.
“I feel like I have been seeing the ball a lot better,” Wooley said. “I have been fast through the box lately, and this weekend, I tried to focus in on being later and hitting the ball the opposite way. That has helped me out, and I was successful tonight.”
A&M will play a challenging midweek matchup against Louisiana on Wednesday.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
The Aggies have a current two-game losing streak to the Ragin Cajuns, but the Maroon & White have a 6-3 home record against Louisiana.
“We’re gonna have all hands on deck for that one,” Ford said.