Texas A&M
Baylor
Aggies Bow Out of World Series
Jun 02, 2007 | Softball
June 02, 2007
The No. 4 Texas A&M softball team ended the season with a 7-4 loss to the No. 8 Baylor Lady Bears in an elimination game of the 2007 Women's College World Series at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
The loss moved A&M's overall record to 46-14 while Baylor improved to 51-15 with the win.
"I thought our team came out and really fought hard," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "These games are hard to lose when your season has ended. Baylor came out and was aggressive. It was one of those games where I felt like we ran out of time. Our kids were really fired up and playing as hard as we could play. This game was a tough one to swallow. Congratulations to Baylor on a fantastic season. They did a nice job."
A three-run home run by College Station-native Courtney Oberg, gave Baylor a 6-1 lead during the third inning. The lead held for the win.
Megan Gibson hit a solo shot in the first inning, her 13th homerun of the season, 43rd career, to give the Aggies a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning.
"Megan did a great job getting up in the first inning for us and hitting a long ball," Evans noted. "I thought she really saw the ball well today."
Baylor quickly countered with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. Ashley Monceaux led-off with a single into right field. Monceaux was thrown out on a fielder's choice hit by freshman Kirsten Shortridge. Brette Reagan reached on a single. Catcher Chelsi Lake drove in both Monceaux and Reagan with a double off the left-centerfield wall.
Monceaux dropped a double just behind third base to start the third frame. Reagan bunted back to Scarborough who over threw first base allowing Monceaux to come home. Lake drew a walk before Oberg sent a first-pitch three-run blast over the leftfield fence, giving Baylor a 6-1 lead.
The Lady Bears used a three-hit sixth to add an insurance run. Scoring on the play was pinch hitter Jordan Daniels who entered the game for shortstop Maritza Martinez.
The Aggies mounted a rally in the fifth scoring two runs with the bases loaded. With one out, Macie Morrow, Joy Davis and pinch hitter Holly Ridley loaded the bases with three consecutive singles. Sharonda McDonald flied out for the second out of the inning before Jamie Hinshaw lined the first pitch she saw up the middle scoring Morrow and Davis. Hinshaw logged her 12th multi-RBI game of the season. The inning ended with Hinshaw being retired 6-to-4 on Gibson's fielder's choice.
A&M trailed 7-3 heading into the sixth and managed to scratch across another run on a throwing error by Baylor third baseman Reagan. Scarborough reached third and designated player Alex Reynolds moved to second when Reagan muffed a throw to Monceaux at first. Morrow hit a deep fly to centerfield allowing Scarborough to tag up for the Aggies' fourth and final run of the game.
Scarborough suffered her 10th loss of the season, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits, a walk and a hit batsman in just 2.2 innings of work. Gibson entered in relief and worked the remaining 3.1 innings, surrendering a run on three hits.
"The thing I thought (Baylor) did really well early on was staying off Amanda's drop ball," Evans said. "They had really good discipline at the plate early on. They made Amanda come up in the strike zone to them. I thought their hitters really set the tone with their discipline."
Lisa Ferguson (26-8) earned the win in the circle for Baylor. The senior worked all seven innings giving up four runs on seven hits. She did not allow a walk as she struck out five.
The 46 wins by the '07 squad was the fourth most by the Aggie softball team since joining the NCAA in 1983.
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH JO EVANS: "I thought our team came out and really fought hard. These games are hard to lose when your season has ended. Baylor came out and was aggressive. The thing I thought they did really well early on was staying off Amanda's (Scarborough) drop ball. They had really good discipline at the plate early on. They made Amanda come up in the strike zone to them. I thought their hitters really set the tone with their discipline. Megan (Gibson) did a great job getting up in the first inning for us and hitting a long ball. I thought she really saw the ball well today. We had the one inning where we let it get away from us and gave up four runs. That was really uncharacteristic for us. I love our fight and the way our kids came back. I think we have a lot of confidence in our ability and our hitters got up expecting to get hits and to be aggressive.
"It was one of those games where I felt like we ran out of time. Our kids were really fired up and playing as hard as we could play. This game was a tough one to swallow. Congratulations to Baylor on a fantastic season. They did a nice job."
(On what she thought was the turning point in the game...) "Looking back, you can say the turning point was giving up the four runs (in the third inning). At the time it didn't feel like that was going to be the end of the game for us. Looking back, we make an error and we walk somebody and we give up a home run. I am the eternal optimist for our team. When they got those runs I felt we had a lot of innings left in the game and I thought everyone was getting a good look. I felt like we were going to come back, and it thought you could see that in our team. We were really forward thinking and in the game. I thought we got Baylor back on their heels a little bit. It was tough when they scored the run in the bottom of the sixth, when they got that third run. That made it tough on us going into the seventh, and I would say that would be a turning point."
TEXAS A&M JUNIOR PITCHER AMANDA SCARBOROUGH: (On her pitching performance and facing Baylor for the third time this season...) "We have faced each other a lot of times, and at this point they know the majority of the time my pitches are inside. It seemed they were really keying on that. My low screw ball, the umpire wouldn't call a strike, so I didn't work with that very well. I got to the point where I am my own worst enemy and I don't trust myself. For example, I made the error hitting the next batter. I am my own worst enemy when I am out there and I can hurt myself more than the other teams actually can."
TEXAS A&M JUNIOR FIRST BASEMAN/PITCHER MEGAN GIBSON: (On how the experience of playing in the WCWS will help next year...) "I feel like every year is a learning year for you, yourself. From your freshman year on you learn every year and you mature. I think that is what our class and the senior class and everyone on our team are doing right now. This is just a step and next year is another step."
BAYLOR HEAD COACH GLENN MOORE: "That was a classic Baylor-Texas A&M matchup. There are not usually a whole lot of runs scored - it is kind of ironic that we get to the World Series and put up that kind of offense both ways. We never thought once that they would quit after we put up six runs. I don't think they thought we would quit after (Megan) Gibson hit her home run. It was an exciting game, a lot of great defensive plays, robbed home runs and some great pitches thrown. It was an exciting game to be a part of as a coach and I'm sure to watch as a fan."
(On Courtney Oberg's three-run home run that put Baylor up 6-1...) "I felt pretty good. I pretty much knew it was gone when it left the bat. It was a great swing on a great pitch and I guess left up a little bit and she took advantage of it. This team came to play. They have always responded when we have had a disappointing loss. The polls have not always reflected the caliber of our team we have here but we're capable of doing some damage from here on out in the World Series. I think that we now have our first game jitters out of the way and I expect big things out of this team and hopefully you will get to see that."
BAYLOR FRESHMAN DESIGNATED PLAYER COURTNEY OBERG: (On playing Texas A&M in the WCWS...) "When I came to Baylor and we all came to Baylor we came out with a mentality that its time and we're all going to get here (to the College World Series). There was never a doubt in our minds. We were going to do everything we could to get here and we're here and we're very happy. We are going to go for everything we can."
BAYLOR SENIOR CATCHER CHELSI LAKE: (On the first inning...) "Ashley (Monceaux) opens up with a base hit and Brette (Reagan) got on base. That has been our mentality all year, to go out there and really attack the team. Especially at this level, the College World Series, you really have to send a message that first inning. It was so exciting. We fought hard all up and down the lineup throughout the whole game. So it was a very, very exciting day. Great to put up a great offense for Lisa's (Ferguson) performance. She pitched great again and we're very excited."
BAYLOR SENIOR PITCHER LISA FERGUSON: (On her pitching effort...) "I knew it was a big game, playing Texas A&M, it being senior year and having beaten them already twice this year. I was real excited to come out and be able to have the ball again. I knew that our offense was going to fight and fight. We have seen (Texas A&M pitcher Amanda) Scarborough already twice this year and she came out firing and I knew we were going to have good game. My job was just to get the outs, whether it be strikeout, groundout or pop out. In the seventh inning I was like, 'Okay, this is it. We have a two-run lead and the defense is behind me making plays like they have the whole game.'"
BAYLOR FRESHMAN RIGHT FIELDER KIRSTEN SHORTRIDGE: (On her catch to rob Macie Morrow of a home run in the second inning...) "Well, I have some teammates making fun of me saying it was not very graceful, which it wasn't, but everyone did a great job of talking to me and telling me I had room. But I still inched up on that fence. It was hit straight up and I did not think it was going over. Next thing you know I felt the fence. Fergie (Lisa Ferguson) is giving all she can in the circle and it's either go big and go all out or go home and we weren't going home. This team has done a great job of responding, and we're all picking each other up and that is what I wanted to do. (Ferguson) has gotten us here and we're going to continue to play defense behind her."
- Baylor improved to 51-15 on the season (1-1 all-time in WCWS play) while Texas A&M fell to 46-14 (18-10 in WCWS play).
- The victory was Baylor's first in the Women's College World Series.
- Baylor improved to 3-0 this year against Texas A&M. The last time the Bears swept the season series with the Aggies was 2000 (2-0).
- With the three-game season sweep, the Bears cut into the all-time series record that now stands at 39-17-1 in favor of Texas A&M.
- Both previous meetings this year between the two squads were extra-innings affairs. Baylor won 3-1 in eight innings in College Station on April 4 and 5-4 in 10 innings at home on May 5.
- The two teams combined for three first-inning runs today. Prior to the game, no team in this year's WCWS had scored in the opening frame.
- The 16 combined hits marked a 2007 WCWS high. The previous high was 11 (twice).
- Baylor freshman designated player Courtney Oberg hit her seventh home run of the year with a three-run shot in the bottom of the third to give the Bears a 6-1 lead. The blast was part of a four-run inning.
- Baylor's Alex Colyer blasted the first triple of her career with the hit to right field in the third inning.
- The Bears' seven runs were the second-most all-time against the Aggies in the series. Baylor scored 11 in a seven-run victory over Texas A&M on May 12, 2005.
- A&M junior pitcher Amanda Scarborough tied a season high in giving up five earned runs. She also surrendered five earned runs to both Texas Tech (April 29) and Arizona (Feb. 23) earlier in the year.
- Baylor's seven runs were the second most runs allowed by A&M on the year.
- A&M's Megan Gibson recorded her 14th home run of the season to increase her school career home run record to 42.
- The last Texas A&M win in WCWS play came in 1988. It has now lost three consecutive games in the event.
