COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M softball team put forth its fourth straight double-digit scoring game of the fall Wednesday evening, toppling the Temple College Leopards 13-0 at the Aggie Softball Complex.
The maroon and white squad took a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second as a one-out Sam Show single was followed by a Ashley Walters single that was misplayed by the Temple right fielder allowing Show to score from first. Sophomore Trinity Harrington did allow a ball hit into play through the first nine batters she faced, all went back to the dugout with a strikeout on their ledger.
As play moved into the middle innings Temple starting pitcher Lexi Smith allowed her first earned run of the day, as sophomore Kristen Cuyos demolished a ball to deep center field to lead off the home half of the fourth inning. The 2-0 score line carried on through the top half of the sixth inning.
In the sixth, the potent Aggies attack sprang to life with six base hits and a walk to produce five runs and push the A&M lead out to seven. Senior Breanna Dozier, sophomore Cuyos, Walters, Alderink, Milligan, Russell and Vidales all reached base in the inning.
When the Aggies came to bat in the bottom of the seventh, Head Coach Jo Evans swapped out several players and introduced a new batting order that the team would use for the remainder of the game. Kayla Ober and Alex Masek lead off the inning with back-to-back singles and scored on a Reagan Boenker double. Erin Houthoofd kept the base runners coming with a single, advancing to third as Boenker scored on a couple Leopard misplays. Riley Sartain knocked in the final run of the frame with a single, scoring Rebar from third. As the dust settled, the Aggies lead 11-0.
Harrington's day came to a close after the seventh inning. The right-hander finished with just three hits allowed against 16 strikeouts. Ober remained in the game to pitch the final three innings, she allowed a pair of hits and walked one batter.
The Aggies made it a baker's dozen with a two-spot in the bottom of the ninth. April Ryan reached via single, advancing to third on a Hailey Rebar double. A wild pitch scored Ryan and moved Rebar to third. The day's final run was scored by Rebar on a single by Celena Massey.
Coach Evans' lineup finished with 17 hits in 45 at-bats, tallying four doubles, one homerun and six steals. Boenker finished as the only Aggie with multiple RBI on the day, finishing with two.
The Aggies return to the Aggie Softball Complex Tuesday at 5 p.m. as they face Tyler Junior College. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to 12thMan.com/softball and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.
Post-Game Quotes
Jo Evans, Texas A&M Head Coach
On today's game…
"Trinity pitched really well, she had 16 strikeouts on the night. That is a huge nights for any pitcher. She fell behind in a couple counts, but always came right back. I also thought Temple's pitcher, Lexi Smith, did a real nice job. She threw off speed, she threw rise balls. Our players had some real challenges early in the game. Just with her change of speeds it really started to mess with out timing at the plate. Then we started to get comfortable and then Kristen (Cuyos) hit the big home run. It was great to see everyone in the lineup get the opportunity to hit. We have 17 hitters that can get at-bats for this team and seeing the fight from the last seven that went in there did a really nice job."
On the benefits of playing fall games…
"Defensively we were really good. It was nice to move some players around and see what these players can do. Riley Sartain did a nice job at short stop and Kristen (Cuyos) did a really good job at third. That is something in the fall that you like to learn from your team, who can play where."
On Trinity Harrington…
"She is a great kid, I love working with here. She works hard, she is a great teammate. Coming into this locker room and knowing that she has opportunity to make an impact on this club and she is doing just that. I am really pleased with how hard she has worked. She came in initially throwing in the low-60's and now she is back throwing where she normally throws at 67-68."
The maroon and white squad took a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second as a one-out Sam Show single was followed by a Ashley Walters single that was misplayed by the Temple right fielder allowing Show to score from first. Sophomore Trinity Harrington did allow a ball hit into play through the first nine batters she faced, all went back to the dugout with a strikeout on their ledger.
As play moved into the middle innings Temple starting pitcher Lexi Smith allowed her first earned run of the day, as sophomore Kristen Cuyos demolished a ball to deep center field to lead off the home half of the fourth inning. The 2-0 score line carried on through the top half of the sixth inning.
In the sixth, the potent Aggies attack sprang to life with six base hits and a walk to produce five runs and push the A&M lead out to seven. Senior Breanna Dozier, sophomore Cuyos, Walters, Alderink, Milligan, Russell and Vidales all reached base in the inning.
When the Aggies came to bat in the bottom of the seventh, Head Coach Jo Evans swapped out several players and introduced a new batting order that the team would use for the remainder of the game. Kayla Ober and Alex Masek lead off the inning with back-to-back singles and scored on a Reagan Boenker double. Erin Houthoofd kept the base runners coming with a single, advancing to third as Boenker scored on a couple Leopard misplays. Riley Sartain knocked in the final run of the frame with a single, scoring Rebar from third. As the dust settled, the Aggies lead 11-0.
Harrington's day came to a close after the seventh inning. The right-hander finished with just three hits allowed against 16 strikeouts. Ober remained in the game to pitch the final three innings, she allowed a pair of hits and walked one batter.
The Aggies made it a baker's dozen with a two-spot in the bottom of the ninth. April Ryan reached via single, advancing to third on a Hailey Rebar double. A wild pitch scored Ryan and moved Rebar to third. The day's final run was scored by Rebar on a single by Celena Massey.
Coach Evans' lineup finished with 17 hits in 45 at-bats, tallying four doubles, one homerun and six steals. Boenker finished as the only Aggie with multiple RBI on the day, finishing with two.
The Aggies return to the Aggie Softball Complex Tuesday at 5 p.m. as they face Tyler Junior College. To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to 12thMan.com/softball and follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.
Post-Game Quotes
Jo Evans, Texas A&M Head Coach
On today's game…
"Trinity pitched really well, she had 16 strikeouts on the night. That is a huge nights for any pitcher. She fell behind in a couple counts, but always came right back. I also thought Temple's pitcher, Lexi Smith, did a real nice job. She threw off speed, she threw rise balls. Our players had some real challenges early in the game. Just with her change of speeds it really started to mess with out timing at the plate. Then we started to get comfortable and then Kristen (Cuyos) hit the big home run. It was great to see everyone in the lineup get the opportunity to hit. We have 17 hitters that can get at-bats for this team and seeing the fight from the last seven that went in there did a really nice job."
On the benefits of playing fall games…
"Defensively we were really good. It was nice to move some players around and see what these players can do. Riley Sartain did a nice job at short stop and Kristen (Cuyos) did a really good job at third. That is something in the fall that you like to learn from your team, who can play where."
On Trinity Harrington…
"She is a great kid, I love working with here. She works hard, she is a great teammate. Coming into this locker room and knowing that she has opportunity to make an impact on this club and she is doing just that. I am really pleased with how hard she has worked. She came in initially throwing in the low-60's and now she is back throwing where she normally throws at 67-68."