No. 2 A&M salvages series with Senior Day shutout vs. No. 9 Arkansas
Game #49: No. 9 Arkansas 0, No. 2 Texas A&M 2
Records: Texas A&M (41-8, 14-6), Arkansas (36-10, 12-9)
WP: Emiley Kennedy (17-4)
LP: Reis Beuerlein (3-1)
Box Score
In an emotion-filled senior day, left-handed pitcher Emiley Kennedy ended a two-game skid by giving the 12th Man one more treat — a shutout performance in a 2-0 victory over the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks.
“I think I like pressure situations,” Kennedy said. “It’s Senior Day. I don’t want to lose on my own field, on my own day and put the team on my back. We haven’t played two good games back to back, so if I go out and throw well, we’ll win the ball game.”
“Lefty” threw all seven innings and tossed five strikeouts in the game, firing two swing and misses in the seventh to notch her final two punchouts.
“My dad told me this morning he said, ‘You’re going to throw well because you always throw well when something is on the line,’’’ Kennedy said. “It happened.”
Despite both teams making contact and leaving a combined 10 runners on base through three innings, the contest remained scoreless entering the fourth frame.
The Aggies had the best chance to assert their will on the game when junior first baseman Amari Harper had a 3-1 count with the bases loaded. The Corona, California, native swung, and while the pop of the bat sounded intriguing, the ball tamely rolled to the second baseman to end the inning.
And on Senior Day, it was a rookie who combined with a veteran to open the scoring for the Maroon & White.
In the bottom of the fourth and with two outs already on the board, senior Kramer Eschete walked to first and promptly stole second.
With the senior eyeing a potential opening run, freshman Frankie Vrazel found a soft spot in the Hogs’ defense, dropping a ball between the left fielder and the shortstop to give Eschete enough time to hustle home.
“Frankie is special,” Texas A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “I can’t say enough good things about Frankie or KK (Dement) to be honest with you. They’re a coach’s dream.
“I’m so excited to see Frankie continue to grow and develop here. She’s just a special kid… Somebody who they don’t make them like her anymore.”
Arkansas threatened in the fifth with two runners on and its best hitter, Bri Ellis, entering the batter’s box with no outs.
On the very first pitch, Ellis flew out to the waiting glove of Eschete. On the next play, Kennedy Powell turned a double play to hogtie the Razorbacks and end the inning.
With momentum at their backs, the Aggies doubled their advantage with a graduate catcher Mac Barbara solo bomb to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning.
After being intentionally walked earlier in the game, the San Diego State transfer made Arkansas pay and set off the cannon.
“I was not surprised, I knew when there was nobody on that they wanted me to get myself out,” Barbara said. “That was not the case. That was on them.”
“Mac was Mac,” Ford said. “Combo all that with clean defense, good pitching and Mac, you win a ball game.”
With a 2-0 upper hand, Kennedy stepped back into the circle and retired six of the next seven batters she faced, inciting raucous approval from the Davis Diamond crowd, which carried throughout the postgame Senior Day ceremony.
To end the regular season, Texas A&M travels to No. 1 Tennessee for a three-game set beginning Thursday at 5 p.m. CT.