Softball: Aggies rebound against Missouri, run-rule the Tigers 11-2

COLLEGE STATION – If you like offense, this was the game for you.

However, these runs came in all sorts of different ways, resulting in an 11-2 Aggie victory in only five innings.

Missouri’s pitcher Casey Stangel walked six batters, one of which drew in a run for the Aggies. On top of all the walks, senior first baseman Jenna Stark got hit by two pitches on her first two at-bats, one of which scored a runner, and the other to load the bases so Emily Albus could knock in a couple runs the traditional way with a double.

Victoria King Senior Emily Albus had two RBI's and scored two runs in A&M's rout over the Missouri Tigers. {"Module":"photo","Alignment":"right","Size":"large","Caption":"Senior Emily Albus had two RBI\u0027s and scored two runs in A\u0026M\u0027s rout over the Missouri Tigers.","MediaItemID":32674}

There was also some fantastic hitting by the Aggies. Cassie Tysarczyk had a nicely hit home run in the 2^nd inning, her fifth of the season. Nicole Morgan also crushed a ball to center. Conversation after that one centered around if anybody had ever seen a ball hit that hard and that high off the scoreboard.

“That was quite the shot,” Coach Evans said of Morgan’s home run. “Now you know why teams don’t want to throw to her. She’s been taking a lot of walks. She understands her strike zone really well. She understands that the other teams have a lot of respect for her. She doesn’t try to go out there and do too much, but, boy, when they put it in her wheelhouse, she’ll make them pay for it.”

Today’s game was nearly the opposite of yesterday’s matchup. Yesterday Missouri came out firing and never looked back, finishing the game with a 7-0 victory. Today, the Aggies came out swinging. The Aggies scored four in the first, one in the second, and six in the third, burying the Tigers before they really could rebound. That resulted in a mercy rule after five innings.

"Obviously, we weren't happy about last night's game," said Evans. "We came out here with a good game plan and our kids stuck to it, and played with a lot of confidence. I'm proud of the way they came back and played the game."

Katie Marks picks up the win for the Aggies. She has clearly been A&M’s best pitcher to begin this season, staying undefeated with this victory at 9-0, with under a two ERA. Her only real blemish of the day was letting up a two run homer, but after that play she looked very sharp.

Tomorrow at noon is the rubber match between the Tigers and the Aggies. One team will look to improve their SEC record to above .500 in this freshly started SEC season.