February 08, 2004
The No. 18 Aggie Softball team swept Stephen F. Austin in a double header in Nacogdoches on Sunday. A&M used timely hitting and solid pitching en route to 2-0 and 5-0 wins at the Coy Simms Athletic Complex.
A&M's duo of senior Lindsay Wilhelmson and freshman Christina Smith kept the Ladyjack batters at bay with each throwing a complete game in their first appearances of the year. Wilhelmson started the first game and threw seven innings allowing no runs on four hits while striking out eight batters. Smith, in her first collegiate start, earned the win after throwing a complete game two-hitter without letting a runner reach third.
"I thought our pitchers looked great," Evans said. "It is exciting to see Christina get out there and pitch as well as she did. I thought our freshman had a really good day."
The Aggies took the first game with two runs that were a result of their speed and aggressiveness on the base paths. A&M swiped six bases, for the second game in a row, and put all the pressure on the 'Jack defense. In the first inning it was freshman Sharonda McDonald's speed that made the difference. McDonald reached base after slapping the pitch down the first base line and with her speed forced Brooke Chandler, the SFA first baseman, to commit an error. She moved around to third on another error by Chandler before scoring on a sacrifice fly to left field by junior Jana James.
A&M added their second run in the third inning when McDonald, after legging out an infield single and stealing second, scored on a single by James. Two runs is all Wilhelmson needed to capture her first win of the season.
It was all defense through four innings in the second game when junior short stop Adrian Gregory stepped to the plate with two runners on and broke a scoreless tie with a laser shot over the left field fence. Gregory's first home run of the season scored McDonald and freshman second baseman Joy Davis. McDonald reached base on a fielding error after Davis earned a walk.
"She (Adrian Gregory) had a great at-bat in the one that she hit out. We needed that so badly," Evans said. "Our rabbits are doing a great job setting the table. Now we just need some of our big hitters to step up. She broke that game wide open."
A&M added two more runs in the sixth with a solo home run by designated player Kristen Gunter and a sacrifice fly to right field that scored senior Sherah Atkins from third. Atkins reached third on a gapper to right-center, her second triple in as many games.
"It is nice to get those wins. It took us awhile to score in the second game but I thought we kept our composure," Evans said. "We have such a tough schedule. When we have a chance to take charge of a game and get a win we need to do that. That is what we came and did. It is nice to come away with two wins."
A&M returns home to take on the University of Houston in a double header on Wednesday at the Aggie Softball Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. with the second game to follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. Live stats and audio will be available on AggieAthletics.com.