#23 Aggies Go Undefeated in the Desert with Two Wins Sunday

Sunday, February 22

Cathedral City, Calif.

11:00 AM

Texas A&M

11-4

Syracuse

6-8

Syracuse

Texas A&M

Feb 22, 2015 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Texas A&M Athletics

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – Pitchers Rachel Fox and Katie Marks both threw complete-games as the 23rd-ranked Texas A&M softball team (12-4) downed Syracuse, 9-1 in six innings, and Stanford, 4-0, to go undefeated at the Mary Nutter Classic.

Fox and Marks combined for only seven hits, fanning eight in thirteen innings pitched.

The Aggies faced Syracuse to open the final day of the weekend competition. Both the Orange and A&M scored in the first inning. Syracuse got on the board with a single shot homer and the Aggies responded when junior Alex Masek came speeding home on a single from freshman Tori Vidales and a throwing error by Syracuse.

The game remained tied in the top of the second, when Marks and the Aggie defense sent Syracuse's batter down 1-2-3.

A&M broke the game open in the bottom of the second, scoring five runs to take the lead. Freshman Kristen Cuyos led off with her first collegiate home run over the center field wall. Sophomore Abby Donnell was walked and joined on the bags by senior Brittany Clopton after a perfectly executed bunt. A fly ball by Masek put runners in scoring position for the Aggies and Vidales cleared the bases with a bomb for her second home run of the weekend.

After taking a 5-1 lead, the ball club scored once more when junior Cali Lanphear, who got to third base on an error in right field, came home on another error that put sophomore Reagan Boenker on second. The Orange was then able to stop the Aggie attack, allowing five runs on three hits and two errors.

The next two innings passed scoreless, with the Aggies threatening in the bottom of the third and loading the bases but they weren't able to capitalize and stranded junior April Ryan, Masek and Donnell.

Texas A&M put its seventh run on the board in the fifth, when Donnell crossed the plate on a single to left field from Vidales, her third hit of the game.

The Aggies took a 9-1 lead to end the game in the sixth inning. Freshman Ashley Walters double to left center and was immediately called home on Cuyos's second home run of the game, the first multi-run game of her young career.

Marks allowed one run on just two hits, moving to 4-0 on the season. Her six strikeouts were a season high for the junior.

Facing Stanford in the second game of their doubleheader, the Aggies were seeking a perfect 5-0 record on the weekend. Fox got the start on the mound for the third time over the weekend, going 2-0 in her previous outings.

Both teams went scoreless through the first four innings. Stanford worked their batting order to load the bases in the first and third innings on three hits but the Aggie defense was able to get out of both jams with excellent fielding, including two spectacular saves on foul balls.

A&M had a promising outing in the bottom of the second, loading the bags on singles from Walters, Cuyos and Donnell but wasn't able to turn any of the potential into runs, stranding three on three hits.

Finally getting on the board in the bottom of the fifth, Donnell led off with a walk but was caught out at second on a fielder's choice from Ryan. The Cardinal made a pitching change right before Clopton singled on another bunt and Masek put both runners in scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Vidales was walked to load the bases and a single to left field by Lanphear brought Ryan and Clopton home, her seventh and eighth RBIs of the weekend.

The Aggies struck again in the sixth, on another homer from Cuyos and a sac bunt RBI from Clopton that sent Donnell rounding the bases for the fourth and final run.

Fox and the defense dug in as Stanford took their last shot at the Aggies and the Cardinal went three up, three down in their final at bat, completing the ball club's undefeated weekend in the desert.

Fox allowed five hits without a single run crossing the plate, adding two strikeouts to her weekend total of fifteen.

Coach Evans Postgame Sound
“[Brittany Clopton] was absolutely terrific all weekend, all year so far. I'm so proud of her. Talk about leadership and setting the tone, she's a tough-minded, feisty, get after it kind of kid. She throws her body around and makes plays defensively. Offensively, she was a difference maker this weekend. Alex Masek was a difference maker in the two hole, handling that well. Everyone got some big RBIs for us.”

Let's Hear a Hullabaloo…
… for freshman bombs. The Aggies scored seven runs behind the four homers from freshman Kristen Cuyos and Tori Vidales. The freshman class has accounted for nine of the team's 14 homers so far on the season. Gig 'em, Kristen and Tori!

On Cuyos:
“We did just stick with her [in the lineup] because her defense was great, we stuck with her because we know she's a great hitter. What I love is that she never hung her head one time. She struggled in several games up to this point and for her to be ready to get in there, keep fighting and have great at-bats shows so much about her and her selflessness. She hasn't felt sorry for herself and she's making adjustments to get it done. I couldn't be more proud,,that's how our kids are supposed to handle that situation. Having a freshman setting the tone says a lot about our future.”

On Vidales:
“Tori was great all day, I thought it was her best defensive day for us. She made a lot of plays, came off the line to make some plays and just did it all over there. She looked sharp.”

Up Next
The Aggies return home for a midweek contest against Houston at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Follow along with live stats at 12thMan.com and @AggieSoftball on Twitter for all the hits, pitches and everything in between during the 2015 softball season.