Texas A&M
UMass
No. 20 Aggies Shutout No. 25 UMass and UIC
Mar 20, 2010 | Softball
March 20, 2010
UMass Box Score | UIC Box Score
SAN DIEGO - Texas A&M junior Rhi Kliesing hit the game-winning, RBI single in the ninth inning to give the No. 20 Aggies a 1-0 win over UMass, before freshman Meagan May homered twice to score four runs in a 5-0 shutout against the University of Illinois at Chicago on Saturday at the USD Softball Complex.
The Aggies (26-6) won their third and fourth games at the San Diego Classic II, while UMass fell to 14-6 and UIC dropped to 6-16.
Sophomore Rebecca Arbino and freshman Melissa Dumezich each tallied shutouts in the circle and combined to throw 16 scoreless innings and punch out 15 hitters.
In a true pitcher's duel against UMass, the game was scoreless through eight-and-a-half innings. Arbino gave up just four base hits and two walks with seven strikeouts, while Sara Plourde had not given up a hit, walked four and had 20 K's .
Through seven innings, the Aggies had moved just one runner into scoring position and the Minutewomen only two.
In the top of the eighth and ninth innings, UMass had scoring opportunities, but Arbino and the A&M defense was relentless and got out of the innings without allowing a run.
The international tiebreaker rule went into effect in the ninth and senior Macie Morrow was placed on second at the bottom of the inning. With two down and a 1-1 count, Kliesing was at the plate and ripped the game-winning, RBI single up the middle to plate Morrow for the 1-0 win.
"Rhi was who we wanted up in that situation," said head coach Jo Evans. "She had made the most contact all game and did a good job of driving the ball.
"When you can hold a team down in the tiebreaker, anything can happen in the bottom half of the inning. That was a big win for us. It was a gut-check and it shows that our team is growing up."
Arbino (14-3) threw all nine innings for her third win of the weekend and sixth shutout of the year. She has thrown 18 scoreless innings this weekend.
Plourde (13-4) took the loss in the circle and gave up one run on one hit, walked five and struck out a career-high 22 in nine innings of work.
As the visitors in A&M's second game against UIC, Morrow led off with a walk and May blasted her first hit of the day - a two-run home run to right - to get the Aggies out to a quick 2-0 lead.
In the fifth frame, May launched her second two-run long ball of the game, this time to straight-away center field. With two down, the Aggies continued to hit starting with a double to left by senior Alex Reynolds. Senior Bailey Schroeder then scored the Tomball, Texas, native with an RBI single to shallow right center and the Aggies enjoyed a 5-0 advantage.
Dumezich (6-0) picked up the win in a complete game. She allowed five this, walked one and struck out a career-best eight batters.
"The more you watch Mel, the more you realize how athletic she is," commented Evans. "It's fun watching her play. She did a good job and made the pitches she needed to make."
Whitney Orellana (1-2) was chased out of the circle after four and two-thirds innings of work and was saddled with the loss. She allowed five runs on seven hits, walked three and added a strikeout.
On the day, Schroeder led A&M going 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. May added two home runs and four RBIs.
The Aggies play their final game of the San Diego Classic II at noon tomorrow against San Diego State.
