May 21, 2005
Texas A&M pinch hitter Nicole Robinson was named the State Farm Player of the game after she hit a fifth-inning three-run home run to lift the No. 5 Texas A&M softball team (46-8) over Penn St. (35-22), 3-2, in day-two regional action at the Aggie Softball Complex.
"That was a great team win today," commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. "They (Penn St.) did a great job keeping us off balance offensively but we fought through it and took advantage of our opportunities."
In the circle, Megan Gibson (Spring, Texas) improved to 12-5 and earned her second win of the regional in a complete game effort where she gave up two runs on five hits after retiring the first nine batters she faced.
Penn St. took the lead in the fourth on leadoff home run by Jen Acunto breaking up a perfect game by Gibson. Penn St. added a second run in the inning on a home run to center by Ashley Esparza.
With her team down 2-0, Robinson (Kingwood, Texas) came through with her two-out pinch hit home run to left scoring Laura Durham (Pearland, Texas) and Adrian Gregory (Livingston, Texas) after they reached on a fielder's choice and an infield single, respectively.
With the win, Texas A&M, the Big 12 Regular Season champions, advanced to the regional championship game and will take on the winner of the 5:30 game. Log on to AggieAthletics.com later tonight to find out who the Aggies will play.
With the win, the Aggies extended their home win streak to 20 games.
All of Texas A&M's NCAA tournament games will be broadcast live on Sports Radio 1150 "The Zone" or fans can listen by logging on to AggieAthletics.com for free audio and live stats. Fans attending the game can listen live by tuning into 89.9 on the FM dial.
Friday
Game 1 - 1:00 Penn St. 5, Centenary, 0
Game 2 - 4:00 Texas A&M 6, McNeese St. 3
Saturday
Game 3 - 12:00 Penn St. 2, Texas A&M 3
Game 4 - 2:30 Centenary vs. McNeese St.
Game 5 - 5:30 Penn St. vs. Centenary/McNeese St. Winner
Sunday
Game 6 - 1:00 A&M vs. Game 5 Winner
Game 7 - 3:00 TBD (if necessary)