Texas A&M
North Dakota State
No. 21 Aggies Throw 12 Scoreless Innings
Mar 13, 2010 | Softball
March 13, 2010
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M pitchers Rebecca Arbino and Melissa Dumezich threw 12 scoreless innings as the No. 21 Aggie softball team blanked North Dakota State, 4-0, and Utah State, 8-0, on Saturday evening in the Aggie Invitational at the Aggie Softball Complex.
In front of 1,048 fans, Arbino (Clovis, Calif.) was perfect through three and earned her fourth straight shutout in a four-hit, four-strikeout performance in the circle. In five innings of work, Dumezich (Whiting, Ind.) picked up her second consecutive shutout, allowing just two hits and punching out four.
"They both threw really well today," said A&M head coach Jo Evans. "Becca is just feeling good and you can see it in her game. Mel is out there and looks very comfortable as well."
At the plate, junior Rhi Kliesing (4-for-6) and senior Alex Reynolds (4-for-7) continued to shine and accounted for eight of the Aggies' 19 hits and eight of the team's 12 RBIs on the day.
"It's amazing what a zone they are in," commented Evans. "They stepped up and both looked so good today.
"Texas A&M softball is known as a team that has a good time playing the game and I'm truly pleased and really happy with the way we're playing right now. Our preparation has been better and we're really on top of things. You see us relaxed playing the game and winning as a team. Our players are really on board with one another."
A&M struck first against North Dakota State (14-8) with a two-run home run to center from Kliesing in the top of the first. Senior Macie Morrow led off with a walk and was on base for Kliesing's sixth bomb of the year.
A two-out rally in the third added another run for the Aggies. Freshman Meagan May singled down the left-field line and Kleising followed with a line single to right center before Reynolds came through with a double that skipped off of second base and scored May from third.
From Spring, Texas, May put A&M ahead 4-0 in the seventh. She hit a solo blast to left center to mark her eighth home run of the season.
In the circle, Arbino (10-3) was only two over the minimum number of batters faced through six frames and gave up her final two hits with two down in the seventh. She has not allowed a walk in her last 24 innings of work.
Whitney Johnson (9-6) was saddled with the loss. She gave up eight hits, four earned runs and four walks, but also struck out 11.
Against Utah State (9-8), it took the Aggies until the third inning to record a hit or a run. Morrow led off with an infield single and junior Kelsey Spittler walked to put two on before Kliesing lined a double to right center to plate both runners. Reynolds followed suit with another double, trading places with Kliesing to get A&M out to a 3-0 lead.
In the next inning, a pair of RBI doubles by Spittler and Kliesing, and an RBI single up the middle from Reynolds put three more on the scoreboard for Texas A&M.
The Aggies continued hitting in the fifth and started the frame by loading the bases with three straight singles from sophomore Lauren Schwirtlich and Morrow. Spittler made it four in-a-row and plated Orsak with a liner to left. May fought back from a 0-2 count and drove in A&M's eighth run on a fielder's choice in the infield.
Dumezich remained undefeated and improved to 5-0 in after earning her third start.
Utah State sent three pitchers to the circle, but starter Mandy Harmon (3-3) suffered the loss. She threw three innings, allowed three hits, three runs, walked three and fanned three.
On the evening, the Aggies hit .352 as a team and got multiple-hit performances from Morrow (3), Dumezich (2), May (2) and Spittler (2).
Texas A&M closes out its 13-game homestand tomorrow with the final game of the Aggie Invitational at 12:15 p.m. against North Dakota State.
