Texas A&M
Oklahoma
Aggies Fall 3-1 to No. 15 Oklahoma
Apr 19, 2009 | Softball
April 19, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. - The Texas A&M softball team dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 15 Oklahoma on a cool Sunday afternoon at the OU Softball Stadium.
Winds from the NNW at 21 mph reeked havoc on fly balls, including keeping a potential two-run shot from senior Holly Ridley inside the park with A&M down by two in the top of the seventh. Nonetheless, OU took its second game from the Aggies this weekend to improve to 34-13 overall and 11-4 in the Big 12, while A&M fell to 27-17 and 5-7 in conference play.
"Despite the outcome, I saw a lot of good things out there today," said head coach Jo Evans. "(Rebecca) Arbino threw really well and gave us a chance to win."
The Sooners got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a two-out, bases-loaded single up the middle from Karolyne Long. Samantha Ricketts and Lindsey Vandever reached on infield singles and crossed the plate on Long's hit to give OU a 2-0 lead early.
"The game can be really simple if you let it be," Evans said. "We talked yesterday about not giving OU more outs than you should and we gave them one extra out in the first inning and it came back to haunt us.
"I know Ricketts got a base hit, but it was a routine ground ball to first. Once Rhi (Kliesing) realized she couldn't make the play at second, she just turned around and waited for (Natalie) Villarreal, who has to play deep against Ricketts and couldn't get there in time. It's just a simple little thing, but it's a difference in a game."
A&M cut the lead in half in the top of the third frame. Sophomore Rhi Kliesing led off with a single up the middle and after a two-out walk by senior Erin Glasco, junior Alex Reynolds lined a 0-1 pitch to left field to score Kliesing from second and make the score 2-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Oklahoma went back up by two after Amber Flores hit a one-out triple to right and Ricketts followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Flores' hit was skyed to dead right field, but the wind blew it all the way to the right field foul line allowing her to slide into third for the three-bagger.
After getting the Sooners out three up, three down in the sixth, junior Bailey Schroeder led off the top of the seventh with a single down the left field line. The next batter, Ridley, was a few feet away from a two-run home run to left, but the Aggies came no further.
Despite A&M retiring OU in order three innings, freshman Rebecca Arbino (9-5) saddled the loss after giving up three runs on six hits, walking three and striking out three. D.J. Mathis (13-4) picked up the win allowing one run on four hits, walking two and fanning six.
The Aggies return to the Aggie Softball Complex on Wednesday for their "Swing for Life" game against Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m.
