Friday, March 29
College Station
6 p.m.
Texas A&M
3
vs
2
BYU
Photo by: Sam Craft/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Top BYU, 3-2, For Coach Evans’ 900th Win at Texas A&M
Mar 29, 2019 | Softball
COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M softball head coach Jo Evans earned her 900th victory at Texas A&M Friday as the Aggies defeated BYU, 3-2, at Davis Diamond.
The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first but the Aggies responded with a three-run second inning, highlighted by a dinger from Payton McBride, the second of her junior campaign.
BYU added a run in the fourth on a solo home run but Kendall Potts retired the Cougars in order in the fifth, struck out the side in the sixth and only allowed one base runner in the seventh to secure the victory.
In her fourth complete game of the season, Kendall Potts held the Cougars to six hits and two runs while only allowing one walk. The Arlington, Texas, native fanned six to earn her eighth victory of the season.
KEY INNINGS
T1 | Rylee Jensen singled up the middle, moved to second on a Brooke Vander Heide sacrifice bunt, then scored as Taylei Williams singled. BYU 1, A&M 0
B2 | Payton McBride led off with a homer to right. Riley Sartain earned a walk and Haley Lee was hit by a pitch, before a Dani Elder sacrifice bunt allowed both to advance. Kayla Garcia delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Sartain. Kylie George singled down the left field line, allowing Lee to touch home to give the Aggies a two-run lead. A&M 3, BYU 1
T4 | Libby Sugg hit a solo shot over the centerfield wall to bring BYU within one. A&M 3, BYU 2
Top Offensive Players:
Payton McBride| 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R
Haley Lee| 1-for-2, 2B, R
Kylie George | 1-or-2, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kendall Potts (8-5) – W, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K, 1 BB
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Jo Evans
On her 900th career win for the Maroon and White…
"I am so grateful for the opportunity to coach here this long and to be a part of this institution. There is not any other school in the county like it. I know that I am fortunate to be here coaching with 900 wins. None of that ever happens without having a great staff and players that can play."
On the defensive changes for Riley Sartain and Baylee Klingler…
"They both have played well. It was hard for me to take Riley off of third just because she is spectacular over there, but she is as good at shortstop as she is at third. Baylee is playing very well at third base. That is her natural position, where she has played most of her life. She is talented over there and is showing it on defense."
On Kendall Potts' performance…
"I had a chat with her after the fourth inning. She was getting the ball up in the zone. The balls they hit hard were misses on her part, which she knew. What really impressed me the most about tonight was Kendall's ability to get off the field after the fourth inning, go back in and regroup. She did such a nice job to make the adjustments mentally, and visually to then go out there and be good in the circle."
On Payton McBride's home run…
"Payton going up there and hitting the long ball was good to see. She's not typically a home run hitter, but she got all of that one with a beautiful swing to start out that inning. It gave our team great momentum and when we had opportunities in that inning we scored."
Junior Pitcher Payton McBride
On her home run tonight…
"I was just helping my team out and trying to get us runs. It definitely got us rolling and allowed our hitters to hit and be relaxed."
On a slow offense tonight…
"I think we were getting out of our minds as our hitters were hitting. I think we just need to be aggressive as we move along and do what we know how to do."
Junior Pitcher Kendall Potts
On her pitches getting better as the game went on…
"It was just me settling in and trusting myself. During the fourth inning I felt a little out of it. Coach pulled me over and she could see it too. She told me to just calm down and to get it back together. The end of the game was much better than the beginning."
ON DECK
The Aggies return to action Saturday against BYU with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TAMUSoftball.
The Cougars jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first but the Aggies responded with a three-run second inning, highlighted by a dinger from Payton McBride, the second of her junior campaign.
BYU added a run in the fourth on a solo home run but Kendall Potts retired the Cougars in order in the fifth, struck out the side in the sixth and only allowed one base runner in the seventh to secure the victory.
In her fourth complete game of the season, Kendall Potts held the Cougars to six hits and two runs while only allowing one walk. The Arlington, Texas, native fanned six to earn her eighth victory of the season.
T1 | Rylee Jensen singled up the middle, moved to second on a Brooke Vander Heide sacrifice bunt, then scored as Taylei Williams singled. BYU 1, A&M 0
B2 | Payton McBride led off with a homer to right. Riley Sartain earned a walk and Haley Lee was hit by a pitch, before a Dani Elder sacrifice bunt allowed both to advance. Kayla Garcia delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Sartain. Kylie George singled down the left field line, allowing Lee to touch home to give the Aggies a two-run lead. A&M 3, BYU 1
T4 | Libby Sugg hit a solo shot over the centerfield wall to bring BYU within one. A&M 3, BYU 2
Payton McBride| 1-for-3, HR, RBI, R
Haley Lee| 1-for-2, 2B, R
Kylie George | 1-or-2, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kendall Potts (8-5) – W, 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 6 K, 1 BB
Head Coach Jo Evans
On her 900th career win for the Maroon and White…
"I am so grateful for the opportunity to coach here this long and to be a part of this institution. There is not any other school in the county like it. I know that I am fortunate to be here coaching with 900 wins. None of that ever happens without having a great staff and players that can play."
On the defensive changes for Riley Sartain and Baylee Klingler…
"They both have played well. It was hard for me to take Riley off of third just because she is spectacular over there, but she is as good at shortstop as she is at third. Baylee is playing very well at third base. That is her natural position, where she has played most of her life. She is talented over there and is showing it on defense."
On Kendall Potts' performance…
"I had a chat with her after the fourth inning. She was getting the ball up in the zone. The balls they hit hard were misses on her part, which she knew. What really impressed me the most about tonight was Kendall's ability to get off the field after the fourth inning, go back in and regroup. She did such a nice job to make the adjustments mentally, and visually to then go out there and be good in the circle."
On Payton McBride's home run…
"Payton going up there and hitting the long ball was good to see. She's not typically a home run hitter, but she got all of that one with a beautiful swing to start out that inning. It gave our team great momentum and when we had opportunities in that inning we scored."
Junior Pitcher Payton McBride
On her home run tonight…
"I was just helping my team out and trying to get us runs. It definitely got us rolling and allowed our hitters to hit and be relaxed."
On a slow offense tonight…
"I think we were getting out of our minds as our hitters were hitting. I think we just need to be aggressive as we move along and do what we know how to do."
Junior Pitcher Kendall Potts
On her pitches getting better as the game went on…
"It was just me settling in and trusting myself. During the fourth inning I felt a little out of it. Coach pulled me over and she could see it too. She told me to just calm down and to get it back together. The end of the game was much better than the beginning."
The Aggies return to action Saturday against BYU with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TAMUSoftball.
Players Mentioned
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INF
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OF
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INF
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P/1B
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P
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INF
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