Softball: Aggies fall to Tulsa, 5-2 in the finale of the Aggie Classic

GAME #11: Texas A&M 2, Tulsa 5

College Station – If a tournament MVP was given for the 2014 Aggie Classic, it would have been an absolute shock if Tulsa pitcher Aimee Creger was not a unanimous winner. Unfortunately for the Aggies, that’s who they had to deal with in today’s matchup at the Aggie Softball Complex, and it didn’t end so well. The final result was in favor of the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes, 5-2.

Coming into today’s matchup, Tulsa had not lost in the 2014 Aggie Classic, and the Aggies had only dropped one on Friday to McNeese State. This matchup, in essence, was for the title of 2014 Aggie Classic champion. Naturally, it only made sense for Tulsa to put their best pitcher on the job.

Matt Sachs, TexAgs Nicole Morgan had a couple shots to the warning track, but just couldn't come up with that clutch hit on Sunday. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"left","Size":"large","Caption":"Nicole Morgan had a couple shots to the warning track, but just couldn\u0027t come up with that clutch hit on Sunday.","MediaItemID":18418}

29. That’s the number of strikeouts Aimee Creger had thrown in her two starts in the Aggie Classic. Her dominance continued against the Aggies, as she tossed another 11 strikeouts and only let up four hits to an Aggie team that averages just over ten hits per game on the season.

“You knew we were going to be in trouble when we gave up those runs early,” coach Jo Evans said. “She’s a great pitcher. She’s a U.S. National Team Player. There’s a reason she’s so effective. She’s got a great rise ball.”

Those runs Coach Evans spoke of all came within the first two innings off starting pitcher Rachel Fox. Fox had been very solid so far this season, with an unblemished record before today’s game. However, today she had three walks and gave up five earned runs in just 1.1 innings of work.

There were some bright spots and things to look forward to for the Aggies. April Ryan went 2-4 on the day and made a really nice diving snag at second base. Abby Donnell got herself into a fair share of jams, but had eight strikeouts of her own, and did not let up a run to a team that was on fire at the onset of the game.

“She was terrific,” Evans said of Donnell. “I really thought she showed great poise on the mound. I thought [Nicole Morgan] really called a great game for Abby. She got herself in a couple of jams and got huge strikeouts. She was able to strand runners out there on two and three strikeouts in an inning.” 

Next up for the Aggies is the Mary Nutter Classic out in Cathedral City, California. Arizona, California, and Nebraska are amongst some of the teams competing, all of which are ranked in the Top 25 nationally.