May 8, 2010
STILLWATER, Okla. - Texas A&M junior Rhi Kliesing hit two home runs and drove in all of the Aggies' five runs in a doubleheader sweep of No. 11 Oklahoma State at Cowgirl Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
No. 20 A&M (41-13, 12-6 Big 12) downed OSU, 3-1 and 2-1, and secured the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship next weekend. Prior to facing the Aggies, the Cowgirls (43-13, 12-6 Big 12) had lost just one home game all season.
Freshman pitcher Melissa Dumezich (16-1) gave up just two runs in the circle and earned both wins after throwing 14 innings on the day.
"This was a huge weekend for us and I'm so proud of our kids," exclaimed head coach Jo Evans. "We showed such maturity today and were very professional in the way we played the game. We just came out here and did our job. I feel like we're really playing as a team and I'm pleased with our kids coming here on the road and leaving with a pair of W's."
In the first game, the Aggies had runners in scoring position the first two innings, but it was the Cowgirls who broke through first in the bottom of the second. Tamara Brown was gifted a lead-off double when A&M lost a pop fly in the sun on the edge of the infield. She was sacrificed to third before Sam Heinlein lined a sacrifice fly to right that plated a sliding Brown from third.
A&M continued to put runners on base in the third and with two on (freshmen Lauren Schwirtlich and Meagan May) and two outs, Kliesing blasted a three-run home run to right center. Her 10th long ball of the year put the Aggies ahead, 3-1.
"Rhi just unloaded on it," commented Evans. "It's great to see her swinging the bat like that and feeling comfortable."
Dumezich and the Aggie defense retired 15 of the last 16 OSU batters to secure the win in game one.
Anna Whiddon (21-7) picked up the loss after giving up three runs on five hits, walking three and fanning 11.
In the second game, Texas A&M got out of early trouble as the Cowgirls loaded the bases in the first and second innings.
It was not until the fourth inning that either team got on the scoreboard. May led off the frame with an infield single and was replaced at first by pinch runner Andrea Tovar. Kliesing then lifted her second homer of the day out of the park for a two-run shot and 2-0 Aggie lead.
Oklahoma State answered and cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth. Heinlein led off with a single down the left field line and pinch runner Sammy Diffendaffer stole second. Mariah Gearhart then connected for her first hit of the day, an RBI single to center, to push Diffendaffer across the plate from second.
In similar fashion, Dumezich shut down the OSU offense, retiring 10 of the last 12 hitters for her second win of the day.
Dumezich (16-1) threw a two-hit complete game victory in game one and gave up just two runs and nine hits, walked three and struck out eight in 14 innings of work.
"Mel was unbelievable out there today," said Evans. "The thing I love about her is she can get herself out of a jam. She did everything we needed her to do and she kept them off balance all day."
Kat Espinosa (19-4) was saddled with the loss in game two. She allowed two runs on five this, walked three and struck out 13.
May hit .600 in the doubleheader, going 3-for-5 with a double, while Kliesing went 2-for-2 with two home runs and five RBIs.
The Aggies return to the diamond next weekend when they travel to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the single-elimination Big 12 Championship.
"We've done everything we could do at this point and we're excited to go into the conference tournament playing as well as we are," Evans said. "I feel like we're peaking at the right time."