No. 6 Ags prevail in teeter-totter rubber match with No. 24 Tide, 9-7
Game #31: No. 6 Texas A&M 9, No. 24 Alabama 7
Records: Texas A&M (26-5, 6-3), Alabama (22-12, 2-4)
WP: Emiley Kennedy (9-3)
LP: Alea Johnson (1-2)
Save: Sydney Lessentine (1)
Box Score
With a retooled lineup and its star back in the circle, No. 6 Texas A&M softball survived a sixth-inning defensive meltdown to stave off comeback-minded No. 24 Alabama as the Aggies clinched the series with a 9-7 win on Sunday at Davis Diamond.
“Overall, just a great team win,” said coach Trisha Ford. “Offensively, came out swinging today. We did a tremendous job in the batter’s box. [Emiley Kennedy] gave us everything she had… She’s a little banged up, but she got us through five innings. Sixth inning got a little crazy, but I was pleased with how our team bounced back and put up a crooked number that following inning.”
The sixth inning, indeed, got crazy.
Up 6-1, the Aggies cruised until they hit choppy waters. After Kennedy walked two batters and gave up a single, Alabama senior third baseman Brooke Ellestad launched a grand slam to right center, making it 6-5.
Things went from bad to worse for the Maroon & White when, with the bases loaded once more, sophomore shortstop Salen Hawkins squeezed a ground ball between sophomore first baseman Mya Perez and junior second baseman Amari Harper to bring home two more.
Facing its first deficit of the afternoon, A&M turned to the heart of its lineup.
Harper and Perez made up for the defensive issues by nabbing back-to-back singles. Graduate designated player Mac Barbara, out of her brief slump, proceeded to laser a line drive single to center field to score Harper and advance Perez.
It was Alabama’s turn for a meltdown in the circle, as, between two pitchers, the Crimson Tide walked three straight Aggies. In doing so, they advanced freshman pinch runner KK Dement and Barbara across to restore A&M’s advantage.
Ford turned to the bullpen for the save and put freshman right-handed pitcher Sydney Lessentine in the circle. With the 12th Man in its feet, the Alamogordo, NM, product ended the game in just 12 pitches and with an emphatic strikeout.
“Anybody can beat anybody in this league,” said Ford. “That’s why you come to the SEC. You come here because you learn how to do hard things every day. A, you’re going to be super successful on the softball field, but you’re going to be super successful in life. If you learn how to do hard things every single day, and it's just part of your norm, you’re going to be elite. That’s why you get those top one-percenters here in the SEC.”
Before the chaos of the sixth, the Aggies were gliding to consecutive SEC series wins.
A&M broke the deadlock when senior shortstop Koko Wooley, now batting fifth, dug her cleats into the dirt of the batter’s box and dribbled a single to the pitcher to bring junior second baseman Amari Harper home.
That was in the first inning.
“[Wooley] is one of the most gifted athletes that’s probably put on a uniform here,” Ford said. “Koko can run. She can hit. She can short game. She’s got range. She’s got a great arm. The kid’s just athletic. When she puts her mind to it, Koko can do whatever she wants to do. She’s special… I’m going to enjoy watching her this year because she will be missed.”
After letting the rest of the bullpen take its stab at quelling the Tide in the first two games, Ford turned back to her reliable star to finish the series. Like a sports car that only leaves the garage for special occasions, Kennedy is used to stepping into high-leverage situations for this Aggies team.
The day started well for the southpaw, allowing only one hit through the first two innings, but a solo homer from junior right fielder Larissa Preuitt got Alabama on the board in the third. The Tide frequently made contact with Kennedy’s pitches early on, but the Woodlands native did enough to record back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth.
Since Harper’s insertion into the lineup, her bat has been on fire. Harper once again blew the game open for the Aggies. With a double off the right-center wall, she brought junior third baseman Kennedy Powell and senior left fielder Kramer Eschete home in the fourth.
A sacrifice fly from freshman right fielder Franke Vrazel in the fifth inning scored the blazing-fast Wooley to give the Aggies their 6-1 advantage.
After surviving a scare in the sixth, A&M improves to 26-5 and 6-3 in the SEC. In a respite from SEC play, the Aggies will play a pair of midweek games vs. Sam Houston and North Texas before Loyola Marymount comes to Aggieland for a three-game series beginning Friday.
