March 31, 2007
The 2nd-ranked Texas A&M softball team (28-5, 2-2) took a two-run lead into the fifth inning but could not hold on as the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners (38-3, 4-1) beat the Aggies 4-2 on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,268 fans at the OU Softball Complex.
?I thought our kids fought hard today,? A&M head coach Jo Evans said. ?Aside from that one inning; we made an error that hurt us and just could not get a big out. For the most part I thought Megan Gibson, for the other five innings looked good. She had a good presence on the mound.?
Sharonda McDonald extended her hitting streak to 19 games with her double to start the contest. Macie Morrow recorded her 25th RBI of the season, driving a 3-2 pitch into right field to score McDonald.
The Aggies increased their lead to 2-0 in the fourth. Gibson began the inning by drawing her second walk of the game. Amanda Scarborough moved Gibson into scoring position on a single up the middle. Jami Lobpries, who was in the lineup for the first time since March 7th against Houston, hit a double over Sooner leftfielder, Amber Flores?â„¢ head, bringing Gibson home.
Fox led-off the fourth with a single but was quickly erased as the Aggie infield turned a 1-6-3 double play. Savannah Long ended the inning striking out swinging. It was Gibson?â„¢s fifth strikeout of the game.
A&M loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth. Jamie Hinshaw and Gibson recorded back-to-back singles, before Scarborough was hit by a pitch. The Aggies could not push a run across as Mandy Gegen struck out to end the inning.
Megan Gibson earned the start in the circle for A&M and worked herself out of a bases loaded jam in the first. With one out, Gibson enticed a strikeout from Susan Ogden and a line-out from Jamie Fox to end the inning. However, it was the fifth inning that caused the damage for A&M. Oklahoma took the lead in the bottom half of the inning, sending eight batters to the plate.
Traci Dickenson started the fifth with a single into centerfield. Norrelle Dickson then laid down a bunt right in front of the plate and was safe at first, a late throwing error by Aggie catcher Patti Wunderlich allowed Dickenson to move all the way to third. Mariee Mena then lined a single to Morrow?â„¢s far right at shortstop. The play scored Dickson. Flores and Fox both singled to drive in the other three runs of the inning.
Lauren Eckermann retired the remaining six Aggie batters to earn her 22nd win of the season. She worked seven complete, giving up two runs on seven hits. She walked three and struck out five. Two of Eckermann?â„¢s three walks were to Gibson, the 100th and 101st of her Aggie career.
Gibson moved to 12-2 on the year with the loss. She threw six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits. She struck out seven Sooners, walking just one.
?I was glad to see us more aggressive at the plate today; we came out and got our hacks,? Evans said. ?You have to have a timely hit here and there. We certainly set the table and had a chance and their pitcher got out of jams. It could have gone either way today. OU ends up winning it, but our kids fought hard. We?â„¢ll come back tomorrow and give it our best shot.?
A&M and OU meet up for the series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m. Fans can listen to the game in and around OU Softball Complex on 88.9 FM and at home on Sports Radio 1150 the Zone.