March 08, 2006
The 19th- ranked Texas A&M softball team (15-8) handed the Sam Houston State Bearkats (7-12) their 12th loss of the season, 4-0, in front of 810 fans on a windy Wednesday night at the Aggie Softball Complex.
?We were due to breakout,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?We have really been struggling. Tonight we were really aggressive, we were looking for strikes early in the count to hit and really taking advantage of opportunities. I was happy that throughout the order, every one of our kids got good cuts and hit the ball hard.?
The Aggies took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on doubles by Amanda Scarborough and Patti Wunderlich.
A&M added two runs to their lead, making the score 3-0, in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out walk by starting pitcher Megan Gibson and back to back to back singles by Scarborough, Rocky Spencer and Ronda Smith.
Sharonda McDonald slapped a triple over the shortstop?â„¢s head that scooted to the fence to score Holly Ridley in the bottom of the sixth and extend A&M?â„¢s lead to four runs.
Gibson improved to 8-2, in the circle, with the three-hit complete game shutout. In route to the 4-0 Aggie victory, Gibson struckout three without walking a Sam Houston batter.
?She [Gibson] threw the ball really well,? continued Evans. ?She had great composure on the mound and I love that she didn?â„¢t have any walks. When your pitcher goes out and throws like that you ought to win a ballgame. I thought she really controlled the game and it starts in the circle and she really made things happen for us from the get-go.?
Wunderlich was named State Farm Player of the Game going 2 for 3 with the game-winning RBI.
?She [Wunderlich] hit the ball hard every single time,? Evans noted. ?The thing I?â„¢m most excited about with Patti is how hard she?â„¢s been working. She?â„¢s been out here early everyday for the last week or so really trying to make adjustments with her swing- a coach loves that. She was outstanding at the plate and I thought she called a great game [for Megan] behind the plate.?
Over spring break, the Aggies will travel to Fullerton, Calif. to participate in the Judy Garman Classic.