Saturday, March 27
Bryan-College Station
3:00 PM
Texas A&M
22-5, 0
10
vs
2
South Carolina
17-9, 0
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
South Carolina
0
2
0
0
0
2
3
4
Texas A&M
6
0
2
0
2
10
8
0
Softball Claims Series Against No. 23 South Carolina in Run-Rule Victory
Mar 27, 2021 | Softball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M softball defeated No. 23 South Carolina, 10-2 in run-rule fashion Saturday at Davis Diamond. The Aggies climb to 22-5, 3-2 mark in SEC play, while the Gamecocks drop to 17-9, 0-5 in the SEC.
The Aggies posted a six-run frame in the bottom of the first, highlighted by four hits including a grand slam belted by Kelly Martinez. This marks the senior's highest RBI performance of the season.
South Carolina responded by adding two runs in the bottom of the second via a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly.
Six of the nine Aggie starters notched a hit with Makinzy Herzog leading the way with two. The junior blasted the two-run homer to walk it off in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Kelsey Broadus compiled 1.1 innings pitched and made her sixth start on the year. Kayla Poynter pitched 3.2 innings in relief, scattering two hits and striking out two to secure her sixth win of the season. The duo limited South Carolina to three hits and .176 team batting average.
This victory marks the Maroon & White's first series win since 2019 against Arkansas.
KEY INNINGS
B1 | Makinzy Herzog and Bre Warren led off with back-to-back singles, before Haley Lee reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Shaylee Ackerman reached on a fielder's choice, plating Herzog in the process and moving Lee to second while Warren advanced on a defensive error. Morgan Smith's sacrifice fly scored Warren. Ashlynn Walls walked to load the bases. Kelly Martinez capped off the scoring with a grand slam to left field. A&M 6, SC 0
T2 | Zoe Laneaux walked and back-to-back hit by pitches to Alyssa Kumiyama and Kenzi Maguire loaded the bases. Kylee Gleason pinch ran for Kumiyama. Mackenzie Boesel walked to advance all runners and plate Laneaux, before Gleason scored on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Fabian. A&M 6, SC 2
B3 | Martinez walked and Rylen Wiggins singled, advancing Martinez a bag. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, while Martinez touched home on a throwing error. Herzog got on by a walk and advanced to second as Wiggins scored on a throwing error by the catcher during a rundown after an attempted steal. A&M 8, SC 2
B5 | Wiggins walked and Herzog homered to centerfield to win by run-rule. A&M 10, SC 2
Top Offensive Players:
Makinzy Herzog| 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Kelly Martinez| 1-for-2, HR, 4 RBI
Shaylee Ackerman| 1-for-3, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kelsey Broadus – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 4 BB
Kayla Poynter (6-1) – 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB
WHAT THEY SAID
Head Coach Jo Evans
On Kelly Martinez…
"Kelly Martinez is a huge part of our team, and she does give (Haley) Lee a chance of getting her out of that crouch and knees and hips. Kelly is steady. You know, it's not very often you see a ball club that has two elite catchers, and we have two elite catchers, and we're really fortunate. I just tip my hat to Kelly, and the way she manages her role and her attitude and her body language is really good. She just wants to be a part of what we're doing, winning games and I've been really impressed with what she's done. Offensively she's really coming into her own, was it maybe a week or so ago that that kid almost hit for the cycle, was a single shy, and for her to get out there today and have such good ABs really speaks volumes about Kelly and keeping herself in it."
Senior C/UT Kelly Martinez
On the thought process going into her grand slam at-bat …
"Just watching her from the other previous at-bats and being a catcher in the first inning as well, I just knew the umpires strike zone. I knew what she was going to have to do to try to get a strike, so I just sat on a pitch that I was strong at."
ON DECK
The Aggies conclude the series against No. 23 South Carolina Sunday, March 28 with a first pitch slated for 12 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.
The Aggies posted a six-run frame in the bottom of the first, highlighted by four hits including a grand slam belted by Kelly Martinez. This marks the senior's highest RBI performance of the season.
South Carolina responded by adding two runs in the bottom of the second via a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly.
Six of the nine Aggie starters notched a hit with Makinzy Herzog leading the way with two. The junior blasted the two-run homer to walk it off in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Kelsey Broadus compiled 1.1 innings pitched and made her sixth start on the year. Kayla Poynter pitched 3.2 innings in relief, scattering two hits and striking out two to secure her sixth win of the season. The duo limited South Carolina to three hits and .176 team batting average.
This victory marks the Maroon & White's first series win since 2019 against Arkansas.
B1 | Makinzy Herzog and Bre Warren led off with back-to-back singles, before Haley Lee reached on a fielding error to load the bases. Shaylee Ackerman reached on a fielder's choice, plating Herzog in the process and moving Lee to second while Warren advanced on a defensive error. Morgan Smith's sacrifice fly scored Warren. Ashlynn Walls walked to load the bases. Kelly Martinez capped off the scoring with a grand slam to left field. A&M 6, SC 0
T2 | Zoe Laneaux walked and back-to-back hit by pitches to Alyssa Kumiyama and Kenzi Maguire loaded the bases. Kylee Gleason pinch ran for Kumiyama. Mackenzie Boesel walked to advance all runners and plate Laneaux, before Gleason scored on a sacrifice fly by Jordan Fabian. A&M 6, SC 2
B3 | Martinez walked and Rylen Wiggins singled, advancing Martinez a bag. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, while Martinez touched home on a throwing error. Herzog got on by a walk and advanced to second as Wiggins scored on a throwing error by the catcher during a rundown after an attempted steal. A&M 8, SC 2
B5 | Wiggins walked and Herzog homered to centerfield to win by run-rule. A&M 10, SC 2
Makinzy Herzog| 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
Kelly Martinez| 1-for-2, HR, 4 RBI
Shaylee Ackerman| 1-for-3, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kelsey Broadus – 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 4 BB
Kayla Poynter (6-1) – 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 SO, 0 BB
Head Coach Jo Evans
On Kelly Martinez…
"Kelly Martinez is a huge part of our team, and she does give (Haley) Lee a chance of getting her out of that crouch and knees and hips. Kelly is steady. You know, it's not very often you see a ball club that has two elite catchers, and we have two elite catchers, and we're really fortunate. I just tip my hat to Kelly, and the way she manages her role and her attitude and her body language is really good. She just wants to be a part of what we're doing, winning games and I've been really impressed with what she's done. Offensively she's really coming into her own, was it maybe a week or so ago that that kid almost hit for the cycle, was a single shy, and for her to get out there today and have such good ABs really speaks volumes about Kelly and keeping herself in it."
Senior C/UT Kelly Martinez
On the thought process going into her grand slam at-bat …
"Just watching her from the other previous at-bats and being a catcher in the first inning as well, I just knew the umpires strike zone. I knew what she was going to have to do to try to get a strike, so I just sat on a pitch that I was strong at."
The Aggies conclude the series against No. 23 South Carolina Sunday, March 28 with a first pitch slated for 12 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: Poynter, Kayla (6-1)
L: LEAH POWELL (5-1)
Batting:
RBI: MACKENZIE BOESEL 1 ; JORDAN FABIAN 1
SF: JORDAN FABIAN 1
Base Running:
RUNS: ZOE LANEAUX 1 ; KYLEE GLEASON 1
HBP: KENZI MAGUIRE 1 ; ALYSSA KUMIYAMA 1
Batting:
HR: Herzog, Makinzy 1 ; Martinez, Kelly 1
RBI: Herzog, Makinzy 2 ; Ackerman, Shaylee 1 ; Smith, Morgan 1 ; Martinez, Kelly 4
SF: Smith, Morgan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Herzog, Makinzy 2 ; Warren, Bre 1 ; Lee, Haley 1 ; Ackerman, Shaylee 1 ; Walls, Ashlynn 1 ; Martinez, Kelly 2 ; Wiggins, Rylen 2
CS: Fortenberry, Kelbi 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
cf/rf
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballP/OF
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
INF
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