Texas A&M
Nevada
Softball Improves to 3-0 with Win Against Nevada
Feb 13, 2010 | Softball
Feb. 13, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. - Texas A&M junior pitcher Rhi Kliesing struck out a career-high 14 batters to lead the Aggie softball team to a 6-4 victory against Nevada on Saturday afternoon at the Tempe Sports Complex.
From Pearland, Texas, Kliesing struck out the side in the fourth and seventh innings and the A&M defense retired 14 straight in the middle of the game to improve to 3-0 on the year. The Wolf Pack fell to 1-2 with the loss.
The Aggies were down early but were not fazed and came back with a six-run third inning. A three-run home run from freshman Meagan May got A&M back into the game before the team batted around and added three more runs.
"The team is really staying loose and relaxed and I think a lot of it right now has to do with confidence," said head coach Jo Evans. "We really got off to a good start yesterday against Wisconsin. We hit throughout the lineup and it felt easy to them, and because of that they came in today and didn't worry too much about getting behind."
Nevada started their scoring in the top of the second inning. Back-to-back walks to lead off were followed by two consecutive base hits, including a two-run single by Danielle Patrick that put the Wolf Pack ahead 3-0.
Senior Macie Morrow and junior Kelsey Spittler led off the bottom of the third with back-to-back singles and May followed with her first career home run, a three-run bomb to left, that evened the game at three apiece.
"We've seen it many times in practice, in scrimmages and in the fall, and it is ridiculous what power Meagan has," commented Evans. "The great thing about her is she has power to all fields."
The Aggies went on to load the bases with two outs before sophomore Kelsea Orsak was hit by a pitch and Kliesing crossed the plate. In her second at-bat of the inning, Morrow scored freshman Sydney Shannon and junior Kara Rau with a two-run single to right to give A&M a 6-3 lead.
"I'm really pleased with Macie and how she's setting the tone for us at the plate," Evans said. "She had a terrific first at bat. She took a bunch of pitches and fouled some off, and we literally got to see every pitch that player was going to throw two times in one at-bat and that helps the team so much. She's not going to get a hit every time but I really like her presence at the plate and how she's battling."
A&M's pitching and defense could not be stopped through the next three innings, but in the sixth Britton Murdock hit a solo home run to left center to bring Nevada within two.
Kliesing kept the Wolf Pack off the bases in seventh and picked up her final three K's to improve to 2-0. In a complete game she allowed four runs on three hits, walked two and fanned 14 batters.
"When Rhi came out in the third inning, she was a different pitcher," said Evans. "She threw different patterns, she went inside hard at them, used her change-up, and her rise was terrific today. Meagan was the one that came up and said let's make some changes and it put a smile on my face when a freshman catcher knows the game well enough to make some adjustments. May was the difference-maker in the game."
A&M has two games remaining in the Kajikawa Classic and faces host and No. 5 Arizona State at 8 p.m. tonight. Stay logged on to AggieAthletics.com for live audio and live stats of the contest.
