Friday, March 2
College Station
3 p.m.
Texas A&M
15-2
1
vs
0
Louisiana Tech
10-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Louisiana Tech
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
Texas A&M
0
0
1
0
0
0
X
1
6
1
No. 7 Aggies Split Day One of A&M Invite
Mar 02, 2018 | Softball
COLLEGE STATION – The No. 7 Texas A&M softball team defeated Louisiana Tech, 1-0, before falling to Utah, 8-7, in day one of the A&M Invite, Friday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
In game one, the Aggies relied on one run to take down the Lady Techsters. The first and only run of the game came in the third when Kaitlyn Alderink belted her first home run of the season right in front of the scoreboard in right center.
In the circle, Maddie MacGrandle earned the win to move to 4-0 as she recorded two strikeouts and only gave up four hits and two walks in six innings of work. Payton McBride tossed an inning in relief to earn her second save of the season. The combined shutout was the fifth for the Aggie pitchers this season.
Against Utah, the Maroon & White took an early lead in the first inning as Keeli Milligan walked and capitalized on a dropped ball in right field to score the first run of the game. The Utes didn't take long to fight back as they tied the game in the second on a sacrifice fly.
In the fourth inning, Riley Sartain reached base on a fielder's choice and back-to-back dingers by Samantha Show and Kristen Cuyos to left field gave the Aggies the 4-1 advantage.
Utah responded in the fifth with four runs on four singles and a double to take a one run lead. The Utes added two runs in insurance in the sixth off a RBI single and groundout.
Texas A&M did not go down quietly as they scored three runs in the final frame of the game. Erica Russell reached base on a walk, followed by a Milligan single and another walk to Tori Vidales. Ashley Walters delivered a three-RBI double to left field to cut the Utes' lead to one. The Aggies had a chance to tie the game with runners on the corners with two out, but a grounder to second ended the game.
In the circle, Show was saddled with the loss. The East Bernard, Texas, native fanned two and allowed nine hits and five runs in 4.2 innings of work. Lexi Smith entered the game in the fifth, striking out one and allowing one walk and four hits in 2.1 innings.
Top Offensive Players:
Kaitlyn Alderink | 4-for-6, 2B, HR, RBI, BB
Ashley Walters | 2-7, 2B, 3 RBI
Samantha Show | 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Maddie MacGrandle (4-0, 1.09 ERA) – W, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 K, BB
Payton McBride (1-0, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA) – S, IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB
Samantha Show (4-2, 2.63 ERA) – L, 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 K, BB
Lexi Smith (2-0, 1.37 ERA) – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, K, BB
Aggie Notes:
WHAT THEY SAID
Texas A&M Head Coach Jo Evans
On Kaitlyn Alderink…
"I was excited for Kaitlyn because she worked really hard to come back from Cathedral City. She struggled a little bit towards the end of that, so she has been working really hard on her swing. It is really cool when a kid gets out there and puts in some extra time and really pays attention to what she is doing and is able to convert that into hits and RBI for us. Yesterday in practice, she hit a bunch of balls out which is not typical of her, but she was just feeling really good. I thought she came out tonight and did a nice job. I thought she really handled herself well (against LA Tech) to give us the one run we needed to win."
On the LA Tech win…
"It wasn't a pretty win, but I liked our fight. I don't mind winning a tough pitchers duel, and then understanding that we can win a lot of different ways."
On the Utah game…
"It was an interesting game for sure. I thought Utah did a great job. Every time we scored, they answered. We had our opportunity to put the game away when we got up by three runs and were up 4-1. We put up a three spot, and we had the momentum at that point, but that is when it is critical to go out there and shut them down. Once you get those three runs and go out and shut them down, then you pretty much have the momentum and can run with that, but we didn't do that. Tip your hats to Utah. They did a great job on two outs. They killed us on two outs. They stayed in at bats a long time. I thought (Kelly) Martinez did a good job battling at the plate and finding a hole out there."
On battling back…
"I am proud that we didn't roll over. I am proud that we can say that we are that team. We are not the perfect team because we should have been able to find a way to get an out with two outs and make some better pitches along the way. I will say that I am proud of our kids. Our dugout was great. I challenged our freshmen to get into the game, and they brought a great energy to us. We had a chance there at the end, and that is what I am asking for. I like the way we fight."
ON DECK
The Aggies face off against Texas State at 12:15 PM and Utah at 3:00 PM in day two of the A&M Invite on Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TAMUSoftball.
In game one, the Aggies relied on one run to take down the Lady Techsters. The first and only run of the game came in the third when Kaitlyn Alderink belted her first home run of the season right in front of the scoreboard in right center.
In the circle, Maddie MacGrandle earned the win to move to 4-0 as she recorded two strikeouts and only gave up four hits and two walks in six innings of work. Payton McBride tossed an inning in relief to earn her second save of the season. The combined shutout was the fifth for the Aggie pitchers this season.
Against Utah, the Maroon & White took an early lead in the first inning as Keeli Milligan walked and capitalized on a dropped ball in right field to score the first run of the game. The Utes didn't take long to fight back as they tied the game in the second on a sacrifice fly.
In the fourth inning, Riley Sartain reached base on a fielder's choice and back-to-back dingers by Samantha Show and Kristen Cuyos to left field gave the Aggies the 4-1 advantage.
Utah responded in the fifth with four runs on four singles and a double to take a one run lead. The Utes added two runs in insurance in the sixth off a RBI single and groundout.
Texas A&M did not go down quietly as they scored three runs in the final frame of the game. Erica Russell reached base on a walk, followed by a Milligan single and another walk to Tori Vidales. Ashley Walters delivered a three-RBI double to left field to cut the Utes' lead to one. The Aggies had a chance to tie the game with runners on the corners with two out, but a grounder to second ended the game.
In the circle, Show was saddled with the loss. The East Bernard, Texas, native fanned two and allowed nine hits and five runs in 4.2 innings of work. Lexi Smith entered the game in the fifth, striking out one and allowing one walk and four hits in 2.1 innings.
Kaitlyn Alderink | 4-for-6, 2B, HR, RBI, BB
Ashley Walters | 2-7, 2B, 3 RBI
Samantha Show | 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Maddie MacGrandle (4-0, 1.09 ERA) – W, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 K, BB
Payton McBride (1-0, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA) – S, IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB
Samantha Show (4-2, 2.63 ERA) – L, 4.2 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 K, BB
Lexi Smith (2-0, 1.37 ERA) – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, K, BB
- Kaitlyn Alderink's home run in the third inning against Louisiana Tech was the first of the season and seventh of her career
- Kelbi Fortenberry recorded her first triple of her career in the sixth inning against La Tech
- Samantha Show's two-run homer was the 20th home run of her career
- Kristen Cuyos hit her 39th career home run, which is tied for ninth all-time with Selena Collins (2000-03)
Texas A&M Head Coach Jo Evans
On Kaitlyn Alderink…
"I was excited for Kaitlyn because she worked really hard to come back from Cathedral City. She struggled a little bit towards the end of that, so she has been working really hard on her swing. It is really cool when a kid gets out there and puts in some extra time and really pays attention to what she is doing and is able to convert that into hits and RBI for us. Yesterday in practice, she hit a bunch of balls out which is not typical of her, but she was just feeling really good. I thought she came out tonight and did a nice job. I thought she really handled herself well (against LA Tech) to give us the one run we needed to win."
On the LA Tech win…
"It wasn't a pretty win, but I liked our fight. I don't mind winning a tough pitchers duel, and then understanding that we can win a lot of different ways."
On the Utah game…
"It was an interesting game for sure. I thought Utah did a great job. Every time we scored, they answered. We had our opportunity to put the game away when we got up by three runs and were up 4-1. We put up a three spot, and we had the momentum at that point, but that is when it is critical to go out there and shut them down. Once you get those three runs and go out and shut them down, then you pretty much have the momentum and can run with that, but we didn't do that. Tip your hats to Utah. They did a great job on two outs. They killed us on two outs. They stayed in at bats a long time. I thought (Kelly) Martinez did a good job battling at the plate and finding a hole out there."
On battling back…
"I am proud that we didn't roll over. I am proud that we can say that we are that team. We are not the perfect team because we should have been able to find a way to get an out with two outs and make some better pitches along the way. I will say that I am proud of our kids. Our dugout was great. I challenged our freshmen to get into the game, and they brought a great energy to us. We had a chance there at the end, and that is what I am asking for. I like the way we fight."
The Aggies face off against Texas State at 12:15 PM and Utah at 3:00 PM in day two of the A&M Invite on Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TAMUSoftball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: MacGrandle, Maddie (4-0)
L: HOWELL, J (3-2)
S: McBride, Payton (2)
Batting:
SH: SMITH, K 1 ; GALAZ, A 1 ; RIZZATO, M 1 ; JENSEN, K 1
Base Running:
CS: TURKOLY, M 1
HBP: HOWELL, J 1 ; ROARK, A 1
Batting:
3B: Fortenberry, Kelbi 1
HR: Alderink, Kaitlyn 1
RBI: Alderink, Kaitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alderink, Kaitlyn 1
CS: Milligan, Keeli 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
SS
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
P/1B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ Softball
C
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