October 14, 2003
The Texas A&M softball team continues its fall exhibition season on Thursday when the Aggies host Alvin Community College in a doubleheader at the Aggie Softball Complex. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. and admission is free.
The Aggies went 4-1 this past weekend at the Spring-Klein College Classic near Houston to run their fall exhibition record to 6-1.
A&M opened the weekend by pounding out 13 hits in a 12-2 win over Southern Miss. Leading the way was sophomore Kristin Gunter, who went 3-for-4 with a home run and 5 RBIs. Also collecting two hits were juniors Adrian Gregory and Nicole Robinson (Kingwood, TX/Kingwood HS), and freshmen Sharonda McDonald and Laura Durham (Pearland, TX/Pearland HS). Fellow freshman Christina Smith (Katy, TX/Cinco Ranch HS) picked up the win on the mound, going the distance and allowing five hits and two earned runs while fanning three Golden Eagle batters.
Louisiana-Lafayette, a 2003 Women's College World Series participant, then handed Texas A&M its only loss of the weekend. The Ragin' Cajuns used a pair of wild pitches in the first inning and a 2-run home run in the sixth to take the 3-1 victory. Senior Lindsay Wilhelmson (North Richland Hills, TX/Richland HS) suffered the loss, giving up three runs and four hits over six innings while walking two and striking out four. McDonald again provided a spark by going 2-for-3 and scoring A&M's only run of the game.
The Aggies rebounded with a 4-0 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville. McDonald (Houston, TX/Dobie HS) paced the offense by going 3-for-3 with three stolen bases and two runs scored. Redshirt freshman hurler Jill Weynand (Frisco, TX/Frisco HS) allowed just three hits and one walk in five innings of work to pick up the victory.
A&M continued to roll with a 5-0 win over Nicholls State on Sunday morning. Junior Jana James (Mesquite, TX/Mesquite HS) went 1-for-2 with a 2-run double and run scored to lead the 9-hit attack, while sophomore Kristin Gunter (Brenham, TX/Brenham HS) was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Smith picked up her second win of the weekend, lasting four innings and allowing two hits and no walks while striking out three.
Wilhelmson got the victory on the mound and added two hits as the Aggies defeated North Texas, 6-0, to close out play in the tournament. The senior allowed just two hits and four strikeouts over six innings of work and was backed up by two-hit performances from McDonald and Gregory (Livingston, TX/Livingston HS), who hit her first home run of the weekend. James went 1-for-3 with a solo home run.
Head Coach Jo Evans, entering her eighth season at the helm, returns 10 letterwinners and five starters from last year's team that went 38-22, advanced to the NCAA regional finals for the second consecutive year and ended the season ranked 15th nationally.
The Aggies will conclude fall play as they play host to the Texas A&M Fall Invitational on Saturday. A&M will play three games at the Aggie Softball Complex, meeting Galveston College at 1:30 p.m., Texarkana College at 3:15 p.m. and Temple College at 6:45 p.m. Admission is free.