Texas A&M
Iowa State
No. 5 Aggies Shutout Iowa State to Advance to Big 12 Semifinal
May 10, 2008 | Softball
May 10, 2008
Behind the strong arm of senior Megan Gibson and the red-hot bat of junior Holly Ridley, the fifth-ranked Texas A&M softball team (47-7) defeated the No. 9 seed Iowa State Cyclones (29-29), 1-0, and advanced to tonight?™s semifinal game at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
?I thought it was a good game and a really well played game,? A&M head coach Jo Evans said. ?Iowa State came out and made all the plays and did a nice job. I thought our kids, though, looked really good.?
Ridley, an All-Big 12 first team selection, broke open a scoreless game in the bottom half of the fourth inning, blasting her fifth home run of the season over the wall in right field.
The lone run would be more than enough for the two-time All-American Gibson. The Big 12 Pitcher and Player of the Year scattered two hits, striking out 10 Cyclone hitters and walking none through seven-complete.
The double-digit strikeout effort was the ninth Gibson has posted this season.
With the win, Gibson improved to 31-1 on the season. The Spring, Texas-native recorded her 15th shutout and 30th complete game on the year, allowing just two runners to reach base and one to move into scoring position.
Rachel Zabriskie (15-14) shouldered the loss for the Cyclones, allowing one run on three hits through six innings of work.
The Aggies will play the winner of fourth-seeded Texas and fifth-seeded Oklahoma State at 7 p.m.
