Texas A&M
Missouri
No. 15 Softball Defeats Missouri, 4-2
Apr 22, 2006 | Softball
April 22, 2006
Two home runs in the first inning by Jamie Hinshaw and Holly Ridley helped lift the No. 15 Texas A&M softball team (31-13, 10-4) to a 4-2 victory over the Missouri Tigers in front of 1,153 fans at the Aggie Softball Complex on gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
?What a thrill for Hinshaw to start the game off with a home run,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?We talked about what commitment we?™re going to make as team to get better, and Hinshaw?™s commitment was to set the tone for us in the lead-off spot and she sure did that today.?
Four runs, all scored in the bottom half of the first inning, were all the Aggies would need to seal their 10th conference victory. Hinshaw led off with a solo shot that more than cleared the left center field fence, putting A&M up 1-0. The next batter, Sharonda McDonald walked. A dropped fly error by Tiger right fielder, Amanda Jo White allowed Amanda Scarborough to reach second while scoring McDonald. Ridley, hitting in the fifth spot in the lineup, belted a two-run shot for her 18th and 19th RBI of the season, increasing the Aggie lead 4-0.
?I really feel like our kids came to play offensively in that first inning,? noted Evans. ?It?™s nice to see us putting hits together and taking the walks.?
Missouri (20-21, 4-7) followed-up with two runs of their own in the top of the third. Pitcher, Jen Bruck hit a single in to left field and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Aggie hurler Megan Gibson. White reached and advanced all the way to third on a two error play by Ridley and Gibson that scored Bruck. Center fielder, Micaela Minner then singled to right to drive in the Tigers?™ second run of the game.
Gibson (15-4) was named State Farm Player of the Day as she struck out a career high 10 batters en route to her 13th complete game of the season and 15th victory. She allowed two runs, only one earned, on nine hits and one free pass.
?I thought she (Gibson) was fantastic today,? Evans said. ?You look up at the scoreboard and their pitcher (Bruck) gives up four hits and Gibson gives up nine and we win. It goes to prove it?™s not the pitcher that gives up the least amount of hits that wins; it?™s the pitcher that can get herself out of jams and that?™s what Gibson did. She was so terrific in tough situations, when runners were in scoring position. I thought she was so gutsy and so focused. I loved her demeanor. This is definitely a big win for her.?
Bruck dropped to 18-15 with the loss. She worked six complete, giving up four runs; three earned, on four hits, each by a different Aggie batter, and three walks. She struck out two.
The Aggies will conclude the series with Missouri with a 12 p.m. game on Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Live audio and stats will be available at AggieAthletics.com. Fans attending the games can listen to the broadcast inside the stadium on 89.9 FM.
Tickets for this weekend, and all home games, are available at the gate and by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE.
