Aggie softball falls to No. 18 Arkansas, 3-0, in eight-inning heartbreaker

The Texas A&M softball team (26-22, 4-13 SEC) was defeated in extra innings by the No. 18 Arkansas Razorbacks 3-0 at Davis Diamond on Sunday Night. The game was senior night for lone A&M senior Riley Sartain.

In a game dominated by defense, it was a game-winning home run that was the deciding factor tonight. Arkansas right fielder Katie Warrick blasted a 3-run home run off the brick façade of the Davis Diamond scoreboard to seal the victory for the Razorbacks. Warrick had been kept in check all night by Aggie starting pitcher Payton McBride, but she finally found her stroke in the 8th inning.

Despite McBride giving up the game-winning home run in the eighth inning, she had an otherwise incredible night on the mound. She struck out career high 9 batters, and didn’t allow a walk in the contest.

“[McBride] was great. She had command of the strike zone, the only mistake she made all night was that home run. We have got to be able to score a run in seven innings and get her a win,” Jo Evans said. “She had tremendous presence and made big pitches when she needed too. She threw a great game.”

McBride fell to 8-5 on the season with the loss.

The offense struggled all night for A&M, going a combined 3-27 at the plate. The Aggies had their best chance of scoring in third inning with runners at second and third, but could not take advantage of the opportunity.

“We didn’t do a great job in commanding the strike zone. I thought could have had better discipline at the plate,” Evans said regarding her team’s offense. “We put ourselves in a hole. We weren’t perfect on the night, but we still made plays and got ourselves out of jams. Offensively, we’ve got to do a better job.”

Texas A&M will look to find their bats tomorrow and have a chance to take their first SEC series win of the season. Game three is slated for 6 p.m. at Davis Diamond, and is scheduled to be shown on SEC Network.