Softball: A&M advances to super regionals with 8-0 win over Baylor

GAME #58: Texas A&M 8, Baylor 0
RECORDS: Texas A&M 42-16 (3-1 NCAA Tournament); Baylor 41-17 (3-2 NCAA Tournament)
WP: Lauren Ainsley (14-7)
LP: Heather Stearns (12-5)
S: None
BOX SCORE: LINK

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The Texas A&M softball team likes to hit homeruns. A lot.

In fact, they like to hit them more than anyone into the country.

Coming into Sunday’s action of the College Station regional of the 2013 NCAA Softball Tournament, the Aggies had hit a nation-leading 95 home runs and only widened the gap with six more over two games against the Baylor Bears.

Baylor stole game one of the day from A&M 9-5 to force a decisive second and final game, but the Aggies flexed their muscles and hit five homers on their way to an 8-0 run-rule victory in game two.

With the win, A&M moves into the super regional round of the tournament where they will face the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in a best-of-three contest for a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

“I’m really proud of our ball club,” stated A&M head coach Jo Evans. “It was a long, hot day but I loved our fight. We didn’t quit.”

The Aggies led game one 5-2 through four and a half innings, but Baylor would go on to score four in the bottom of the fifth and three in the bottom of the sixth to push the regional into its final game.

Bears’ freshman Heather Stearns came into the game in the fourth and pitched four complete innings of perfect ball to allow the Baylor to make the comeback. Stearns played the weekend with a fractured hand after being injured in practice last week.

“We weren’t sure if she was even going to be able to pick up a ball,” said Moore of Stearns’ hand. “For her to go in and pitch the way she did is amazing to say the least. She couldn’t grip a ball last week and for her to go able and throw the way she did today and yesterday is unbelievable.”

Since A&M was unable to muster anything against her in game one, it was no surprise to see Bears head coach Glenn Moore start Stearns in game two.

But with the pressure of a win-or-go-home game mounting, the A&M bats finally cracked the freshman during the first inning of the second game.

Lead-off hitter Jenna Stark drew a walk and center fielder Emily Albus recorded a single to left to put two runners on for third baseman Amber Garza. Garza then walloped a no-doubter over the center field wall to give the Aggies the initial 3-0 lead.

Stearns recorded three strike outs to end the inning after Garza’s shot, but it was more of the same in the bottom of the second when A&M catcher Meagan May hit her 15th homer of the season to give A&M a 4-0 advantage, chasing Stearns from the circle in the process.

Playing in her final game at the Aggie Softball Complex, May tacked on another run in the fourth inning when she hit her second home run of the day to left field. May hit three of the six A&M home runs in the two games.

“We’ve had issues this year where we would have a big first inning and then go stagnant,” said May. “I was really glad to help out and keep reminding them that they had to deal with our entire lineup, not just our top half.”

Not to be outdone by May, Garza also added her second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth. The two-run shot gave A&M a 7-0 lead and forced Moore to replace usual starter Whitney Canion with righty Courtney Repka.

However, it appeared that whoever was pitching didn’t matter because A&M freshman Cali Lanphear immediately took Repka’s offering out of the park in the very next at-bat to end the game by run-rule.

Lanphear’s blast was the 101st home run of the season for the Aggies and the 20th of her young career.

Of note was the quietly dominant pitching performance by A&M sophomore Lauren Ainsley. Ainsley gave up just two hits over five innings of work and also struck out four batters.

“When I heard I was starting, I knew I didn’t want our season to be over and our team felt the same way,” stated Ainsley. “I just wanted to go out and pitch my heart out and do what I could for my teammates.”

By winning the regional, A&M is rewarded a trip to Norman to face the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners. The Aggies will attempt to keep the bats hot, but going against pitcher Keilani Ricketts and her 27-1 record on the season will be no easy task.

“We’re going to celebrate for sure and enjoy this,” said Evans. “We’re going to take tomorrow off so that means we get to celebrate one more day, but I know our kids. When I’m up here in the clubhouse, I’ll see them the next day looking at film of Oklahoma.”