Perez drives in three as A&M's offense stays hot vs. North Texas, 12-4
Game #33: No. 5 Texas A&M 12, North Texas 4 (6 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (28-5, 6-3), North Texas (22-11, 5-4)
WP: Grace Sparks (6-1)
LP: Kayleigh Smith (2-3)
Box Score
A walk-off double by Mac Barbara powered No. 5 Texas A&M to a 12-4 victory over North Texas in a six-inning run-rule win on Wednesday night.
It was the Aggies’ second run-rule victory in as many nights.
Barbara collected two hits in four at-bats, including a walk, and helped her team mash balls at the dish.
“Tonight, we kept going to work in the batter's box, and I thought, offensively, we did a tremendous job,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said.
The Mean Green scored in the first inning, applying pressure to the Aggies’ offense, but the visitors did not threaten again until the fifth and sixth innings.
Grace Sparks earned the win after tossing three innings, allowing four hits, one earned run and one punchout. She found herself deep in counts but was able to force six ground outs and allowed only two extra-base hits.
“Pitching-wise, I feel like it wasn’t our best night, but sometimes, you don’t have your best night, and you have to figure out a way to win, and they were able to,” Ford said.
Sydney Lessentine relieved Sparks in the fourth inning, where she concluded the game by pitching three innings, giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks. The strikeout machine from Alamogordo, NM, struck out three batters.
Lessentine found herself in a jam in the sixth but was able to find her groove.
“I told her to quit farting around,” Ford said. “We’re consistently having trouble with the eight and nine-hole kids, and we’re up by five runs. What are we freaking out about? Let’s make adjustments. Quit being emotional. Go out there and execute your pitches.
“Pitchers cannot be emotional. They have to go out there, no matter the circumstances, and be in the moment on that pitch, and I felt like tonight we were either way off the plate or way on the plate.”
Mya Perez added to her excellent week by recording three RBIs, with her first run driven in coming during the first inning on a single to right field. In Koko Wooley’s first of three at-bats, she doubled to left field, putting the Aggies ahead 2-1, a lead that was not relinquished.
A&M scored six runs in the fourth, with Kennedy Powell registering her first RBI of the night by smashing a single to right-center field. The Conroe native had four plate appearances, resulting in two hits and two runs scored.
“Coach is preaching team wins,” Powell said. “Win as a team, and I think if we continue to win as a team, our bats will continue to push those runs across and continue to play as a team and trust each other.”
Amari Harper added another two-run double to left field before Perez earned her second RBI with a double to right center. The only long ball of the night for the Maroon & White was a two-run shot off the bat of Allie Enright.
The Aggies forced the Mean Green to make a change twice in the circle, as coach Rodney DeLong went with Gracie Maloney, Shelby Buffington and Skylar Savage after starting pitcher Kayleigh Smith allowed five runs.
In the fifth, Wooley drew a bases-loaded walk, but A&M could not capitalize further after Enright lined out to end the inning.
Emma Grahmann drove in the final run for North Texas on an RBI single.
Two RBI singles from Kramer Eschete and Perez set up Barbara to finish the night with a runner on second.
A&M had impressive discipline at the plate, recording 14 hits and five walks. The lineup saw only two batters go hitless, and as a team, the Ags only struck out three times.
The Aggies will host Loyola Marymount this weekend at Davis Diamond for a three-game series beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
