March 02, 2006
Amanda Scarborough looped a single into leftfield, in the bottom of the seventh, to score pinch runner Jami Lobpries from third and give the 14th-ranked Texas A&M softball team (12-6) a 3-2 win in front of 602 fans at the Aggie Softball Complex in game one of the St. Joseph Texas A&M Invitational.
?I thought Megan threw really well,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?She threw for a bunch of ground balls and we made the plays all night. We talked about it prior to the game, there?â„¢s nothing more important than us playing great defense. Solid defense is what gave a chance to come back at the end.?
It was BYU(10-5) who got on the board first, with two walks and two hits in the top of the first inning, to score Krystle Chamberlain.
The Cougars then scored another run in the top of the fifth on two triples by Jenn Whiteley and Andi Ramirez.
Starting pitcher Megan Gibson put the Aggies on the board with her eighth homerun of the season, in the bottom of the sixth.
Holly Ridley leadoff the seventh with a double off the rightfield wall and advanced to third on an over-throw by the centerfielder. Catcher Patti Wunderlich hit a single off the centerfield wall, scoring Ridley. Sharonda McDonald singled on a perfectly placed bunt and Gibson walked to load the bases. Scarborough then dropped a single right over the shortstop?â„¢s head to drive in the game-winning run.
?It?â„¢s fun to win,? Evans said. ?But to have those two freshman, (Holly Ridley, Patti Wunderlich) who have been struggling a little bit, get up there and get the job done is great.?
Gibson recorded the complete game victory, improving to 6-2 on the season. She gave up two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out five.
Scarborough was named State Farm Player of the Game going 2 for 4 with the game-winning RBI.
The Aggies will face BYU again Friday at 12:15 p.m. with a game against the College of Charleston to follow at 4:45 p.m.
Live stats of all tournament games will be available at aggieathletics.com along with live game audio of Texas A&M's contests. Fans attending the games can listen to the broadcast inside the stadium on 89.9 FM.
Tickets for the St. Joseph Texas A&M Invitational, and all home games, are available at the gate and by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
NOTE: With a steal against BYU McDonald has stolen 71 consecutive bases.