#22 Softball Splits Saturday Doubleheader, Wins GT Series

Saturday, April 4

College Station

2:00 PM

Texas A&M

28-10

Georgia Tech

14-24

Georgia Tech

Texas A&M

Apr 04, 2015 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Texas A&M Athletics

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The No. 22 Texas A&M softball team (29-10, 7-5 SEC) split Saturday's doubleheader, winning the rubber match to take the series against Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (14-25).

The Aggies trailed for the almost the entirety of the first game of the day, tying the game with two gone in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to the eighth inning before falling 5-4. Junior Katie Marks started in the circle for the Aggies and allowed four runs on three hits with two walks before being relieved by senior Lauren Ainsley. Ainsley battled for 3.2 innings before senior Rachel Fox entered in extras.

Neither team could bring a runner home in the first two innings, with the ball clubs combining to leave five runners stranded.

The Yellow Jackets opened the third inning with a single straight back at Marks. After a passed ball and sac bunt, Georgia Tech found itself with a runner on third and a walk and hit batter loaded the bags with two gone. Marks was ahead in the count with two strikes but the Georgia Tech batter connected for a grand slam, putting the Aggies four back early in the game.

Senior Brittany Clopton led off with a single up the middle in the home portion of the third, moving to second on a sac bunt from freshman Erica Russell. With a runner in scoring position, freshman Tori Vidales stepped up to the plate and went yard for the second time in as many games, chipping away at the Georgia Tech lead with a two-run homer.

The Aggies trailed 4-2 until the bottom of the seventh. With one gone, Russell battled for a full count walk and was joined on the bags by Vidales. After both runners moved into scoring position on an illegal pitch, junior Cali Lanphear drew a walk to load the bases with two outs. Sophomore April Ryan sent a shot straight up the middle, scoring Russell and Vidales for the tying run and sending the game into an extra inning.

Fox entered the game fresh to try and give the Aggies the series clinching win. After allowing a leadoff walk, Fox made the play on a fielder's choice to cut off the lead runner at second. An error at third base allowed another Yellow Jacket on base and a single to left field allowed the final run to come home, extinguishing the hopes of an Aggie comeback with a 5-4 loss.

Senior Rachel Fox threw her 23^rd complete game of the spring in Saturday's second outing, fanning five batters and allowing two hits in five innings of work in her sixth shutout of the year.

The rubber match of the series was a wire-to-wire win for the Aggies, who scored six runs in the first and tacked on five more over the next four innings for a run-rule victory.

After a leadoff double, Fox and the Aggie defense clamped down and a quick put out plus Fox's first two strikeouts left the Yellow Jacket stranded on second.

Clopton led off with a single to short stop and the Aggies quickly loaded the bases after Vidales drew a walk and freshman Ashley Walters was hit by a pitch. The Aggies' next three batters would all take their base after being walked, sending home the first three runs of the game.

A sacrifice fly from sophomore Reagan Boenker sent Lanphear speeding towards home for the fourth run. Freshman Kristen Cuyos was the fifth Aggie walked in the bottom of the first, loading the bases again, and Russell was hit by a pitch to force home the fifth run.

Clopton, back at bat after A&M cycled through the batting order, laid off a single to center field to call home the sixth and final run of the first inning. Texas A&M exited the inning with a 6-0 lead on only two hits, both coming from Clopton.

Georgia Tech managed to get a single runner aboard in the second but couldn't send her home. The Aggies went down in order in the bottom of the second and repaid the Yellow Jackets in kind in the visitor portion of the third.

Boenker opened the third with a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt from Cuyos, her fifth of the year, allowed Boenker to move into scoring position. A ground out sent her to third base and Clopton took first after a four-pitch walk. With runners on the corners, a single shot to short stop from Vidales scored Boenker and the Aggies were only able to add a single run in the third.

Holding a 7-0 lead, Fox retired the Georgia Tech side in order in the top of the fourth to put A&M back on offense.

A leadoff bunt from Lanphear and single to left field from Ryan gave the Aggies two on early in the fourth. Boenker drew another walk to load the bags before the A&M dropped the hammer on the Yellow Jackets. A passed ball gave Lanphear the chance to sneak home and move runners into scoring position before Cuyos was walked to fill the bags. Russell, Clopton and Vidales all drew walks in a row, scoring the last three runs of the series for an 11-0 victory.

Coach Evans Post Game Sound
“Well the first game was the type of game you're supposed to win at home and we had our chances but there were way too many strikeouts. We have to be better than that, their pitcher did a nice job but we didn't make adjustments. I was pleased to see our kids bounce back and it was a big win after a really disappointing loss.”

Let's Hear a Hullabaloo
…for fighting hard. Senior Brittany Clopton had a hit in each game this weekend, including multiple hits in a single inning in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. In the leadoff position this year, Clopton has been held without a hit in just ten of 39 games this season. Gig 'em, Brittany!

Coach Evans on Vidales:
“She did a great job today. Really, she had a great eye at the plate, leading off the game with a hit. She hit again in the first inning, which rarely ever happens. I'm happy for her. No one fights harder and works harder than Brittany and it's great to see her hard work paying off. She did a great job this weekend getting herself on base.”

Up Next

The Aggies continue their 11-game homestand on Tuesday, taking on UTSA at 6:35 p.m. 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.