Sixth Inning surge propels Texas A&M to victory over BYU, 4-0

Texas A&M softball was able to defeat the Brigham Young Cougars 4-0 for the second time in as many days to sweep the series. Error-free defense and timely hitting ended up being the difference in this game.

Despite not allowing any runs, this game was closer than the final score indicates. Both teams were scoreless through five and a half innings. However, the Texas A&M bats would heat up in the end.

The Aggies scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the sixth. It was freshman Baylee Klingler who got things started for A&M with a lead off double. BYU then made the bold decision to intentionally walk Payton McBride to create a force out at third, bringing Riley Sartain to the plate. 

With runners on first and second base, Sartain put down a beautiful sacrifice bunt. However, a wild throw to first allowed Klingler to score the game’s first run and Sartain and McBride advanced to second and third respectively.

“We know we can come from behind [and] score runs” Klingler said after the game. “Once we get rolling, we’re kind of unstoppable offensively”.

Texas A&M continued to have success in the bottom of the sixth. Immediately following Sartain's at bat, freshman catcher Haley Lee hit a ball to shallow right field which allowed McBride to score for an RBI single. This led to a pitching change for BYU, but it would prove to be ineffective. The Aggies would plate two more runs before the inning was over to take a 4-0 lead.  

Junior pitcher Kendall Potts got the start in the circle for Texas A&M. This was her second consecutive start this weekend. Potts put together another solid performance. On top of pitching a shutout, she was able to retire BYU’s final three batters in the top of the seventh inning to end the game and earn her ninth win of the season.

“I’ve just felt good out there the past couple days. [I] was just trying to pound the strike zone” Potts said. “If we can take this momentum that we are building right now into SEC [play], it will be a good weekend for us”.

Head Coach Jo Evans was very impressed with Texas A&M’s performance defensively. “I thought [Potts] pitched very well… and our defense did a good job behind her. Sartain, Klingler, Garcia, and really every infielder had a nice play today and took care of business out there” said Evans following the win.

This was Texas A&M’s second victory of the weekend over BYU as they defeated the cougars, 3-2, one day prior, improving the Aggie record to 22-13 on the year. They will have a few days to rest and recover before facing off against Texas Southern in a double header this upcoming Tuesday. Both games will be streamed on SEC Network+.