No. 6 Aggies claim series opener at No. 22 Auburn in extra innings, 5-4
Game #25: No. 6 Texas A&M 5, No. 22 Auburn 4 (8 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (22-4, 2-2), Auburn (20-6, 0-4)
WP: Emiley Kennedy (7-3)
LP: SJ Geurin (13-3)
Box Score
Sometimes, you need eight innings and 149 pitches from your ace to get it done.
In the wake of what could have been a calamitous first inning, senior left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy blanked No. 22 Auburn for six-straight innings to give the No. 6 Texas A&M time to mount a 5-4 comeback win in extra innings.
With the game tied at three heading into the eighth, A&M looked to do what it hadn’t done all day — take the lead.
The top of the A&M lineup showed up, with senior shortstop Koko Wooley singling and stealing second. Kennedy Powell then threaded a single past the outstretched glove of the Auburn shortstop, giving Wooley enough time to reach home.
Mya Perez finally latched onto a pitch and sent it careening toward the centerfield wall for a double. The Norco High School product’s rocket sent Powell flying around the bases for a 5-3 A&M lead.
The Aggies were three outs from victory.
The fate of the game rested on Kennedy’s shoulders, already 11 strikeouts in.
Auburn’s AnnaLea Adams gave the Maroon & White scare with a solo homer to bring the Tigers back to within one, but three ground outs in the eighth gave the Aggies all they needed.
The comeback was necessitated once the Aggies found themselves in an early hole. A bases-clearing triple from Amelia Lech soared over Frankie Vrazel’s head to put the Tigers up 3-0.
Auburn filled the bases on a wonky play where the umpires decided KK McCrary swung for a third strike, but the two runners on base were still able to steal second and third, followed by a walk.
The Maroon & White spent the next two innings swinging at the echo of the pitch, with two straight 1-2-3 innings in the second and third. Luckily for Trisha Ford’s squad, Kennedy held the Tigers scoreless in those frames.
After being inserted into the batting order with Mac Barbara out of the starting lineup, Amari Harper got the Aggies on the board with a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning. The Corona, California native’s home run barely got over the right-center wall to bring home pinch runner Kelsey Mathis.
The two SEC foes found themselves in a defensive battle, with Kennedy routinely getting the Aggies out of jams and Auburn’s infield turning a pair of double plays to keep the Aggies chasing.
That’s when Harper stepped back into the batter’s box.
After a Powell single and subsequent stolen base and advancement to third, Harper earned her third RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly. Powell was but a streak on the Auburn basepaths as she sprinted home, narrowly dodging catcher Aubrie Lisenby, who fumbled the catch, allowing her to score and tie the game.
With momentum favoring A&M, Ford made the gamble to thrust Barbara out there as a pinch hitter, but the San Diego State transfer lined out on the first pitch she faced, returning the game to its monotonous grind of a defensive grudge match.
Following another 1-2-3 inning for A&M’s southpaw, the Aggies’ offense stumbled through the top of the seventh inning with two strikeouts and a ground out to put the pressure on Kennedy to send it to extra innings.
The Ford-described “face of the program” lived up to the moniker, making all three Tiger batters she faced swing and miss to strike out her ninth, tenth and eleventh batters.
The Aggies will return to the diamond for the second game of the series against Auburn on Saturday, March 15 at 11 a.m CT.