No. 7 A&M begins 2025 campaign with doubleheader sweep at Davis
Game #1: No. 7 Texas A&M 11, Utah State 5
Records: Texas A&M (1-0, 0-0), Utah State (0-2, 0-0)
WP: Sidne Peters (1-0)
LP: Carley Limosnero (0-1)
Box Score
Game #2: No. 7 Texas A&M 10, Purdue 2 (5 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (2-0, 0-0), Purdue (0-1, 0-0)
WP: Emiley Kennedy (1-0)
LP: Emma Bailey (0-1)
Box Score
Kicking off its season at the Aggie Classic, No. 7 Texas A&M had a successful Thursday in sweeping a doubleheader at Davis Diamond. The Aggies took down Utah State, 11-5, before run-ruling Purdue in the nightcap, 10-2.
In Game 1, Utah State proved to be a tougher foe than expected for the highly-ranked Maroon & White.
“Utah State is super scrappy,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “I have known coach (Todd) Judge for many years, and (pitching coach) Marissa Schuld played for me. We knew it would be a handful.”
Both teams scored in the first inning as Utah State opened the scoring on an RBI single from Alex Bunton.
A&M tied the game in the bottom half as Koko Wooley scored on a groundout by Mya Perez.
The play of the day — and perhaps the year — came in the top of the second when Giselle Gonzales popped up in foul territory. A&M left fielder Kramer Eschete reached over the wall down the foul line and caught the ball not once but twice as she tumbled to the warning track dirt.
“I think I blacked out for a minute,” Eschete said. “Everyone was asking me, ‘Are you okay? It made a bad sound when you hit the fence.’ I saw it in the air, and I wondered if it would go over the fence, but when I got there, I knew I got it.
“Whenever (it bounced off), I saw the ball come out of my glove, and I was able to follow it. I was locked in for it.”
An inning later, Utah State took the lead again on Olivia Marble’s two-run double as the visitors grabbed a 3-1 advantage.
The next few innings moved slowly, which Ford described as “sluggish.”
“The team was overthinking things,” she said postgame.
In the middle of the fifth, Ford spoke with her entire team, and although she didn’t say exactly what she told them, she did remind them:
“It is the same game,” Ford said. “We hit the yellow ball that comes over the white plate. It is not rocket science.”
She also mentioned the team’s lack of energy and said she addressed that.
After the pep talk, A&M picked up the pace. During the bottom of the fifth, Perez singled to drive home and tie the game at 3-3.
However, Utah State scored two more runs in the sixth on Ariel Fifita’s two-run homer.
As Ford called it, an A&M “offensive explosion” came during the bottom of the sixth.
“At the end of the day, good teams figure out how to win,” Ford said.
Eschete tripled to center field, plating Frankie Vrazel and KK Dement. Immediately after, Wooley hit a single to center field, and Eschete scored.
After Kennedy Powell reached on a fielder’s choice, San Diego State transfer Mac Barbara made her presence known in Aggieland, smashing a three-run home run off the scoreboard.
It was the first of back-to-back-to-back jacks as Perez and Enright followed to push A&M’s lead to 11-5.
Sidne Peters got the final three outs in the seventh to close out the first victory in 2025.
A&M’s second game of the day also went in favor of the hosts as Purdue fell victim to a five-inning mercy rule.
Indeed, A&M’s offensive roll continued as Emiley Kennedy dominated in the circle early.
In the bottom of the first, the Aggies scored three runs as Perez drove in Powell and Wooley and Barbara scored on a wild pitch.
An inning later, Barbara doubled in a pair, and Powell scored on a Perez sacrifice fly.
A&M plated four more runs in the third inning as Purdue appeared to be overmatched.
Trailing 10-0, Purdue finally scratched across a run in the fourth an another in the fifth, but it was not enough to extend the night.
Kennedy finished with eight punchouts in her first victory of the season, while Perez drove in eight across both games.
Overall, the Aggies were successful, with their offense showing up on the first day of the season.
Ford described it as “a stacked lineup,” and stacked it was.
Opening Day provided a positive forecast for the rest of 2025, and A&M could be in for an enjoyable year.