February 16, 2007
Aggie center fielder Sharonda McDonald went 5-for-7 with three runs scored to lead the No. 3 Texas A&M softball team to wins over Arkansas (4-1) and Rutgers (9-1) in front of 1,506 fans on the opening day of the 2007 Aggie Classic.
The wins improved A&M?â„¢s record to a perfect 7-0 while Arkansas dropped to 2-5 and Rutgers fell to 0-2.
?I thought our kids were a little tight in the first game,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?I think that can happen once you come off a high of playing the top-ranked teams in the nation, like we did last week. It is important for us to be able to elevate our play, especially at home. I thought it was a great atmosphere and really fun to play with such a great crowd behind us. Again we got great pitching and some timely hits.?
In the afternoon game, the Aggies plated two quick runs in the first inning on back-to-back errors by the Lady?â„¢Backs?â„¢ (2-5) infield. McDonald opened the game with a perfectly executed bunt just in front of the plate. Jami Lobpries then laid down a sac bunt that third baseman Jess Reed air-mailed over the first baseman Samantha Buckner?â„¢s head into right field. McDonald came around to score and Lobpries held up at third. Arkansas second baseman Kayla Johnson allowed a ball hit by A&M?â„¢s Jamie Hinshaw to scoot under her glove to score Lobpries.
A solo blast to left field by Buckner in the fifth was the only run the Lady?â„¢Backs would manufacture. A&M added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh to push their lead to 4-1, for the win.
In the circle for the Aggies, Scarborough threw a complete game one-hitter, striking out a career high 12 batters.
?Typically Amanda is not a big strike out pitcher, but tonight she just stayed really focused and knew what she wanted to throw,? Evans continued. ?They (Arkansas) were pretty aggressive at the plate and swung at a lot of pitches. Amanda did a good job of throwing strikes when she had to and kept the ball of out the zone when she was ahead.?
In the nightcap, the Aggies again brought home two runs in the first. This time, Scarborough drilled a double at the foot of the left field wall to drive home freshman shortstop Macie Morrow and Hinshaw who reached on a walk and a fielder?â„¢s choice.
A&M?â„¢s third run came in the second after Ronda Smith and designated player Alex Reynolds both drew walks. Joy Davis advanced the runners to second and third on a sac bunt. An infield single by McDonald loaded the bases for Morrow to drive in Smith on a ground out to shortstop.
The Aggies added two more runs in the fourth on a double up the middle by Hinshaw that scored Davis and McDonald, pushing A&M?â„¢s lead to 5-0.
Rutgers managed one run in the fifth off a double by Amanda Shaw to right field that scored Ashley Hartley who reached on a free pass.
With the bases loaded in the fifth, McDonald drew a walk to bring home the Aggies?â„¢ sixth run. With the bases still juiced, Hinshaw ripped a three-run double to make the score 9-1, in the Aggies?â„¢ favor and bring the run-rule into effect.
Gibson earned her third victory of the season, going the distance and allowing just one run off two hits and two strike outs.
Hinshaw ended the evening with a run scored and six RBI.
With her stellar performance at the plate, McDonald was named State Farm Player of the Day.
?Sharonda was terrific. In our post-game meeting, I just said ?'Sho- you really stood out, you made us go tonight.?â„¢ She really hit the ball hard and made them play defense. None of her hits were easy. It?â„¢s really nice to see her get comfortable. She was very aggressive,? Evans concluded.
A&M will continue play in the Aggie Classic with two games on Saturday. The Aggies face Rutgers at 2:30 p.m. and Arkansas at 4:45 p.m.
Fans wanting to purchase season and individual game tickets can do so by calling 1-888-99-AGGIE or logging on to www.AggieAthletics.com.