Friday, March 26
Bryan-College Station
6:30 PM
Texas A&M
21-5, 0
6
vs
3
South Carolina
17-8, 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
South Carolina
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
4
2
Texas A&M
2
0
0
1
3
0
X
6
8
2
Softball Moves Past No. 23 South Carolina, 6-3, in SEC Home Opener
Mar 26, 2021 | Softball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M softball battled past the No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks in a 6-3 affair on the first night of SEC home action Friday at Davis Diamond.
With the win, the Maroon & White improve to 21-5 overall with an even 2-2 start to Southeastern Conference play. In defeat, South Carolina falls to 17-8 with an 0-4 SEC record, losing four consecutive SEC matchups for the first time since May 4, 2019.
The game got off to a red-hot start for the Aggies, as Bre Warren sent a double toward left field and Haley Lee launched a two-run home run over the centerfield wall to take an early 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning. Things proceeded quietly through the next two frames, but South Carolina surged for three runs in the top of the fourth on one hit and two errors to take a 3-2 advantage. Texas A&M was quick to respond, as Kelbi Fortenberry singled up the middle and promptly stole second base, advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Ashlynn Walls roped one up the middle to send Fortenberry home and tie the game, 3-3.
A&M broke free in the bottom of the fifth with three runs on three hits and an error. Makinzy Herzog singled up the middle and Warren reached on a fielding error by the first baseman. Lee continued her spectacular performance in the batter's box by doubling down the left field line and sending Herzog home. Madi Jatzlau came in to pinch run for Lee while the Gamecocks changed pitchers. Morgan Smith singled to left field, allowing Warren and Jatzlau to score, finalizing the 6-3 result.
Lee's two-run home run in the bottom of the first was her 11th of the season and 18th of her collegiate career. The Kingwood, Texas, native finished with two hits on the night, marking her 10th multiple-hit game of the 2021 campaign. The junior now leads the team in RBI with 24. Warren, a freshman outfielder from College Station, Texas, recorded two hits and logged her fifth multiple-hit game this year.
In the circle, Herzog booked her ninth start of the season and recorded 3.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Grace Uribe pitched in relief for 3.2 innings while making her 11th collegiate appearance. The freshman from Huntington Beach, California, surrendered only one hit, held the Gamecocks scoreless, and fanned a pair of batters with no walks.
KEY INNINGS
B1 | Bre Warren smacked a double into left field and Haley Lee knocked the ball clear out of Davis Diamond over the centerfield wall on the ensuing at-bat. A&M 2, SC 0
T4 | Maddie Gallagher, Cayla Drotar and Carlie Henderson all drew walks, with Skylar Trahan pinch running for Drotar. Kenzi Maguire reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second as Gallagher scored on a fielding error and Trahan was thrown out at home. Mackenzie Boesel singled to left center and advanced to second on the throw, pushing Maguire to third as Henderson scored. After an Aggie pitching change, Jordan Fabian reached on a fielder's choice with Boesel advancing to third and Maguire being thrown out at home. Kassidy Krupit reached on a fielding error, allowing Boesel to add the final run of the frame. A&M 2, SC 3
B4 | Kelbi Fortenberry singled up the middle and quickly stole second base, advancing to third on a throwing error. Ashlynn Walls singled straight up the middle and sent Fortenberry home to tie the game. A&M 3, SC 3
B5 | Makinzy Herzog singled up the middle and Warren reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, advancing Herzog to second. On the next at-bat Lee doubled down the leftfield line, advancing Warren and scoring Herzog. Madi Jatzlau came in to pinch run for Lee as South Carolina was forced to change pitchers. Morgan Smith singled to left field which allowed both Warren and Jatzlau to score. A&M 6, SC 3
Top Offensive Players:
Haley Lee| 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI
Bre Warren| 2-for-3
Morgan Smith| 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Ashlynn Walls| 1-for-2, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Makinzy Herzog – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 SO, 5 BB
Grace Uribe (5-1) – 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Jo Evans
Opening Statement…
"Really happy to get a win tonight. You know Herzog struggled a bit on the mound, and Grace Uribe came in and really settled us down. I thought she did such a nice job, just with her composure throwing strikes, throwing ground balls, and then defensively, us making those plays for Grace. Offensively, I thought our kids did a great job to come out aggressive and clearly scoring those two runs with the Haley Lee home run. I mean that's a big deal, and you know we had the inning where we walk three batters, yeah bases loaded nobody out and just trying to stay away from a big inning at that point. To have our kids be able to come out and tie that game back up in the bottom half of the inning. I thought it was a huge, huge difference maker for us and got the momentum back on our side and pleased with the way we line up, like, you look at what Bre Warren did tonight, getting herself on base, Haley Lee, huge, huge hit by Morgan Smith, and just a good team win for us."
Junior C/UT Haley Lee
On Grace Uribe's pitching performance …
"Grace came in with a fight to win tonight. I was very proud of her. The way she had a game plan, we set it early in the bullpen before the game even started. We talked about what we were going to do, and she just executed her plan very well. I'm very proud of the way she performed and grew. She's just a great working freshman and you wouldn't have known that from tonight, she showed up and played a really great game."
ON DECK
The Aggies press on with the second game of this weekend's series against No. 23 South Carolina, with first pitch on Saturday, March 27 scheduled for 3 p.m. at Davis Diamond.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieSoftball.
With the win, the Maroon & White improve to 21-5 overall with an even 2-2 start to Southeastern Conference play. In defeat, South Carolina falls to 17-8 with an 0-4 SEC record, losing four consecutive SEC matchups for the first time since May 4, 2019.
The game got off to a red-hot start for the Aggies, as Bre Warren sent a double toward left field and Haley Lee launched a two-run home run over the centerfield wall to take an early 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning. Things proceeded quietly through the next two frames, but South Carolina surged for three runs in the top of the fourth on one hit and two errors to take a 3-2 advantage. Texas A&M was quick to respond, as Kelbi Fortenberry singled up the middle and promptly stole second base, advancing to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Ashlynn Walls roped one up the middle to send Fortenberry home and tie the game, 3-3.
A&M broke free in the bottom of the fifth with three runs on three hits and an error. Makinzy Herzog singled up the middle and Warren reached on a fielding error by the first baseman. Lee continued her spectacular performance in the batter's box by doubling down the left field line and sending Herzog home. Madi Jatzlau came in to pinch run for Lee while the Gamecocks changed pitchers. Morgan Smith singled to left field, allowing Warren and Jatzlau to score, finalizing the 6-3 result.
Lee's two-run home run in the bottom of the first was her 11th of the season and 18th of her collegiate career. The Kingwood, Texas, native finished with two hits on the night, marking her 10th multiple-hit game of the 2021 campaign. The junior now leads the team in RBI with 24. Warren, a freshman outfielder from College Station, Texas, recorded two hits and logged her fifth multiple-hit game this year.
In the circle, Herzog booked her ninth start of the season and recorded 3.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Grace Uribe pitched in relief for 3.2 innings while making her 11th collegiate appearance. The freshman from Huntington Beach, California, surrendered only one hit, held the Gamecocks scoreless, and fanned a pair of batters with no walks.
B1 | Bre Warren smacked a double into left field and Haley Lee knocked the ball clear out of Davis Diamond over the centerfield wall on the ensuing at-bat. A&M 2, SC 0
T4 | Maddie Gallagher, Cayla Drotar and Carlie Henderson all drew walks, with Skylar Trahan pinch running for Drotar. Kenzi Maguire reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second as Gallagher scored on a fielding error and Trahan was thrown out at home. Mackenzie Boesel singled to left center and advanced to second on the throw, pushing Maguire to third as Henderson scored. After an Aggie pitching change, Jordan Fabian reached on a fielder's choice with Boesel advancing to third and Maguire being thrown out at home. Kassidy Krupit reached on a fielding error, allowing Boesel to add the final run of the frame. A&M 2, SC 3
B4 | Kelbi Fortenberry singled up the middle and quickly stole second base, advancing to third on a throwing error. Ashlynn Walls singled straight up the middle and sent Fortenberry home to tie the game. A&M 3, SC 3
B5 | Makinzy Herzog singled up the middle and Warren reached on a fielding error by the first baseman, advancing Herzog to second. On the next at-bat Lee doubled down the leftfield line, advancing Warren and scoring Herzog. Madi Jatzlau came in to pinch run for Lee as South Carolina was forced to change pitchers. Morgan Smith singled to left field which allowed both Warren and Jatzlau to score. A&M 6, SC 3
Haley Lee| 2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI
Bre Warren| 2-for-3
Morgan Smith| 1-for-3, 2 RBI
Ashlynn Walls| 1-for-2, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Makinzy Herzog – 3.1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 SO, 5 BB
Grace Uribe (5-1) – 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB
Head Coach Jo Evans
Opening Statement…
"Really happy to get a win tonight. You know Herzog struggled a bit on the mound, and Grace Uribe came in and really settled us down. I thought she did such a nice job, just with her composure throwing strikes, throwing ground balls, and then defensively, us making those plays for Grace. Offensively, I thought our kids did a great job to come out aggressive and clearly scoring those two runs with the Haley Lee home run. I mean that's a big deal, and you know we had the inning where we walk three batters, yeah bases loaded nobody out and just trying to stay away from a big inning at that point. To have our kids be able to come out and tie that game back up in the bottom half of the inning. I thought it was a huge, huge difference maker for us and got the momentum back on our side and pleased with the way we line up, like, you look at what Bre Warren did tonight, getting herself on base, Haley Lee, huge, huge hit by Morgan Smith, and just a good team win for us."
Junior C/UT Haley Lee
On Grace Uribe's pitching performance …
"Grace came in with a fight to win tonight. I was very proud of her. The way she had a game plan, we set it early in the bullpen before the game even started. We talked about what we were going to do, and she just executed her plan very well. I'm very proud of the way she performed and grew. She's just a great working freshman and you wouldn't have known that from tonight, she showed up and played a really great game."
The Aggies press on with the second game of this weekend's series against No. 23 South Carolina, with first pitch on Saturday, March 27 scheduled for 3 p.m. at Davis Diamond.
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieSoftball.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Uribe, Grace (5-1)
L: KELSEY OH (2-5)
Batting:
RBI: MACKENZIE BOESEL 1
Base Running:
RUNS: MACKENZIE BOESEL 1 ; MADDIE GALLAGHER 1 ; CARLIE HENDERSON 1
SB: MADDIE GALLAGHER 1
HBP: KENZI MAGUIRE 1 ; JORDAN FABIAN 1 ; MADDIE GALLAGHER 1
Batting:
2B: Warren, Bre 1 ; Lee, Haley 1
HR: Lee, Haley 1
RBI: Lee, Haley 3 ; Smith, Morgan 2 ; Walls, Ashlynn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Herzog, Makinzy 1 ; Warren, Bre 2 ; Lee, Haley 1 ; Jatzlau, Madi 1 ; Fortenberry, Kelbi 1
SB: Fortenberry, Kelbi 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
p/dp
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballP/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballFall Ball Press Conference: Trisha Ford
Monday, October 06
Liberty Postgame: Texas A&M
Sunday, May 18
NCAA Regional Day 3: Liberty Postgame
Sunday, May 18
Highlights: Texas A&M 5, Liberty 6
Sunday, May 18
