Softball: Aggies run-rule Sam Houston 11-2 in five innings

“I thought we did a good job hitting them into mistakes,” said A&M head coach Jo Evans. “I’m pleased with the way we played.”

It didn’t take long for A&M to break the scoreless tie, as the Aggies put up a two-spot in the bottom of the first on a single from first baseman Jenna stark to take an early 2-0 lead.

After a trio of singles from left fielder Brittany Clopton, right fielder Cassie Tysarczyk, and catcher Nicole Morgan, Stark hit a rocket towards third that ricocheted off of the Bearkat third baseman and towards the A&M dugout, allowing Clopton to score from third and Tysarczyk to reach home from second.

The Bearkats opted to intentionally walk Morgan in the next at-bat to reload the bases, but their plan backfired as Stark laced her second RBI-single of the game to right field to make the score 5-0 in A&M’s favor.

“We hit the ball hard,” stated Evans. “I thought Jenna Stark, in particular, really stroked the ball well.”

But the Aggies weren’t done scoring just yet.

With two outs in the inning, designated hitter Cali Lanphear approached the plate and knocked a first-pitch grand slam over the wall in center field for the 9-0 lead. Lanphear, who garnered All-American nods last season, has seen a vast drop-off in productivity during her sophomore year, but perhaps Wednesday’s grand slam was a turning point and the Montgomery product will close the year strong.

Evans sure hopes so.

“It’s nice to see her get up there and look comfortable,” said Evans. “We keep trying to get her in the lineup because we believe in her. We keep saying that when Lanphear gets hot, that’ll be a big difference in our team and a big difference in our offensive output.”

Sam Houston scored one in the top of the fourth and was able to temporarily avoid being run-ruled in the top of the fifth, as A&M reliever Katie Marks gave up a solo-shot to Bearkat shortstop Tayler Gray to start the inning. 

However, the Aggies struck back in the bottom of the fifth to walk-off in style.

After a one-out bunt single by center fielder Emily Albus, Tysarczyk ended the game with a walk-off homerun over the wall in center field. The knock was Tysarczyk’s eighth of the season and also gave A&M their eighth run-rule victory this year.

“Cassie makes it look easy up there,” Evans said of her senior. “It’s nice to see our kids coming around. We needed that.”

Now the Aggies turn their attention to yet another pivotal SEC series as they welcome the fifth-ranked Florida Gators to town for a three-game set starting on Friday. In hopes of hosting a regional for the fourth straight season, winning the series against the highly-ranked Gators would go a long way to building a top-tier résumé. 

“It’s a big series and we’re excited to have Florida in town,” Evans concluded. “They have had great success and have been to the World Series many times. I just want to see our kids be aggressive like we were today and take advantage of opportunities when we get them.”