Saturday, April 10
Bryan-College Station
4:00 PM
Texas A&M
26-10, 5-6
4
vs
1
Auburn
20-12, 2-9
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Auburn
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
3
2
Texas A&M
0
0
2
1
1
0
X
4
8
0
No. 25 Softball Defeats Auburn 4-1 In Poynter’s Complete Game
Apr 10, 2021 | Softball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Boosted by an immaculate complete-game performance in the circle from senior pitcher Kayla Poynter, the No. 25 Texas A&M softball team celebrated its super seniors and logged an impressive 4-1 victory against the Auburn Tigers on Saturday at Davis Diamond.
With the win, Texas A&M climbs to 26-10 overall on the season and holds a 5-6 record in Southeastern Conference play. Auburn falls to 20-12 with a 2-9 record against SEC opponents this season.
The Loganville, Georgia, native Poynter pitched a complete game for the second time this season, logging the Aggies first complete game in the circle since the start of SEC play. The senior fanned six batters and allowed a mere two walks in the game, surrendering only one run in the process. Poynter faced 24 Auburn batters and allowed three hits, holding the Tigers to a .125 average on the afternoon.
The first two innings passed without incident, but a strong combination of baserunning and batting in the bottom of the third saw A&M pull ahead 2-0. Morgan Smith drew a walk, with Rylen Wiggins singling and advancing to second on a throwing error. Makinzy Herzog followed that up with a single to left centerfield which drove Morgan Smith and Wiggins home. The Aggies added an additional run in the bottom of the fourth with Kelbi Fortenberry and Ashlynn Walls singling on back-to-back at-bats before Morgan Smith loaded the bases with a walk. Wiggins singled to third and scored Fortenberry.
Auburn prevented the shutout, as Makayla Packer drew a walk and immediately stole second base. Makenna Dowell singled to rightfield, which allowed Packer to score and log the Tigers only run in the game. The Maroon & White added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, with Poynter going one-two-three in the sixth and seventh innings to ice the game on a strikeout.
In the batter's box, six different Aggies recorded hits, headlined by a pair of multiple-hit performances from Fortenberry and Wiggins. The Wylie, Texas, native Wiggins went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and saw her record multiple hits in a game for the first time in her collegiate career. Fortenberry went 2-for-3 and added a run in the process. Additionally, Herzog, Bre Warren, Walls and Morgan Smith each placed their bat on a ball in the victory.
KEY INNINGS
B3 | Morgan Smith drew a walk before Rylen Wiggins singled and advanced to second on a throwing error. Makinzy Herzog singled to left center to plate Morgan Smith and Wiggins. A&M 2, AU 0
B4 | Kelbi Fortenberry and Ashlynn Walls made it back-to-back singles before Morgan Smith loaded the bases with a walk. Wiggins singled to third, scoring Fortenberry in the process. A&M 3, AUB 0
T5 | Makayla Packer walked and went on to steal second. Makenna Dowell singled to right field scoring Packer. A&M 3, AUB 1
B5 | Haley Lee reached on a hit by pitch before Shaylee Ackerman drew a walk. Taudrea Sinnie who pinch ran for Lee advanced to third on a passed ball and then went on to score on a throwing error. A&M 4, AUB 1
Top Offensive Players:
Rylen Wiggins| 2-for-2, RBI
Kelbi Fortenberry| 2-for-3
Makinzy Herzog| 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kayla Poynter (8-2) – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 SO, 2 BB
WHAT THEY SAID
Senior Pitcher Kayla Poynter
On her first pitch strikes…
"It's always a focus for us to go out and throw first pitch strikes. That's what I tried to focus on the most, was to get ahead of these hitters and get them off balance and work with my stuff rather than throwing their stuff."
Freshman Infielder Rylen Wiggins
On her performance today…
"I would say the at-bats were really working today, that was a little bigger for me. I am not usually as big with my bat as I am with my glove so it was pretty nice to see me get on base today."
On being able to get the series win…
"I mean it is huge, last weekend against Alabama was not a good one for us. This one is pretty good, so if we can carry over this energy tomorrow I think we will be pretty set."
ON DECK
Texas A&M softball concludes its series with the Auburn Tigers tomorrow, Sunday, April 11 at Davis Diamond for a decisive third game, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
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, Texas A&M climbs to 26-10 overall on the season and holds a 5-6 record in Southeastern Conference play. Auburn falls to 20-12 with a 2-9 record against SEC opponents this season.
The Loganville, Georgia, native Poynter pitched a complete game for the second time this season, logging the Aggies first complete game in the circle since the start of SEC play. The senior fanned six batters and allowed a mere two walks in the game, surrendering only one run in the process. Poynter faced 24 Auburn batters and allowed three hits, holding the Tigers to a .125 average on the afternoon.
The first two innings passed without incident, but a strong combination of baserunning and batting in the bottom of the third saw A&M pull ahead 2-0. Morgan Smith drew a walk, with Rylen Wiggins singling and advancing to second on a throwing error. Makinzy Herzog followed that up with a single to left centerfield which drove Morgan Smith and Wiggins home. The Aggies added an additional run in the bottom of the fourth with Kelbi Fortenberry and Ashlynn Walls singling on back-to-back at-bats before Morgan Smith loaded the bases with a walk. Wiggins singled to third and scored Fortenberry.
Auburn prevented the shutout, as Makayla Packer drew a walk and immediately stole second base. Makenna Dowell singled to rightfield, which allowed Packer to score and log the Tigers only run in the game. The Maroon & White added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth, with Poynter going one-two-three in the sixth and seventh innings to ice the game on a strikeout.
In the batter's box, six different Aggies recorded hits, headlined by a pair of multiple-hit performances from Fortenberry and Wiggins. The Wylie, Texas, native Wiggins went 2-for-2 with a pair of singles and saw her record multiple hits in a game for the first time in her collegiate career. Fortenberry went 2-for-3 and added a run in the process. Additionally, Herzog, Bre Warren, Walls and Morgan Smith each placed their bat on a ball in the victory.
B3 | Morgan Smith drew a walk before Rylen Wiggins singled and advanced to second on a throwing error. Makinzy Herzog singled to left center to plate Morgan Smith and Wiggins. A&M 2, AU 0
B4 | Kelbi Fortenberry and Ashlynn Walls made it back-to-back singles before Morgan Smith loaded the bases with a walk. Wiggins singled to third, scoring Fortenberry in the process. A&M 3, AUB 0
T5 | Makayla Packer walked and went on to steal second. Makenna Dowell singled to right field scoring Packer. A&M 3, AUB 1
B5 | Haley Lee reached on a hit by pitch before Shaylee Ackerman drew a walk. Taudrea Sinnie who pinch ran for Lee advanced to third on a passed ball and then went on to score on a throwing error. A&M 4, AUB 1
Rylen Wiggins| 2-for-2, RBI
Kelbi Fortenberry| 2-for-3
Makinzy Herzog| 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Kayla Poynter (8-2) – 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 SO, 2 BB
Senior Pitcher Kayla Poynter
On her first pitch strikes…
"It's always a focus for us to go out and throw first pitch strikes. That's what I tried to focus on the most, was to get ahead of these hitters and get them off balance and work with my stuff rather than throwing their stuff."
Freshman Infielder Rylen Wiggins
On her performance today…
"I would say the at-bats were really working today, that was a little bigger for me. I am not usually as big with my bat as I am with my glove so it was pretty nice to see me get on base today."
On being able to get the series win…
"I mean it is huge, last weekend against Alabama was not a good one for us. This one is pretty good, so if we can carry over this energy tomorrow I think we will be pretty set."
Texas A&M softball concludes its series with the Auburn Tigers tomorrow, Sunday, April 11 at Davis Diamond for a decisive third game, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
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 (8-2)
L: Maddie Penta (6-6)
Batting:
RBI: Makenna Dowell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Makayla Packer 1
SB: Makenna Dowell 1 ; Alyssa Rivera 1 ; Makayla Packer 1 ; Maddison Koepke 1
Batting:
RBI: Herzog, Makinzy 2 ; Wiggins, Rylen 1
SH: Wiggins, Rylen 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sinnie, Taudrea 1 ; Fortenberry, Kelbi 1 ; Smith, Morgan 1 ; Wiggins, Rylen 1
SB: Herzog, Makinzy 1
HBP: Lee, Haley 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballP/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballINF
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