Texas A&M wins a close one & drops a close one in Sunday doubleheader
After splitting their first two games of the season yesterday, Aggie softball avenged a loss to Colorado State by shutting them out 2-0 before turning around and falling to Texas Tech, 2-1, in the second day of the Texas A&M Invitational.
Game 1 - Texas A&M 2, Colorado State 0
Pitching was the strength for both sides early, as the lineups were kept in check over the first couple of innings.
The Aggies opened the scoring in the bottom half of the third inning thanks to a Makinzy Herzog towering solo homer, her second home run in as many days.
In the top half of the fourth inning, an illegal pitch by Grace Uribe that put a runner on first base and a throwing error from Dani Elder put runners on the corners with one out. Uribe responded to the adversity by striking out the next two batters to end the threat.
From there, the Aggies added an insurance run via an RBI single from Shaylee Ackerman in the fifth inning.
Makinzy Herzog took over in the circle to begin the sixth as Uribe threw five innings of scoreless ball while allowing only one hit and striking out six.
Herzog slammed the door and give the Aggies their second win of the season.
Game 2 - Texas Tech 2, Texas A&M 1
Just like in the first game, pitching dominated the stat sheet.
Texas Tech attempted to rally in the second but couldn’t push a run across.
Neither team scored until sophomore left-fielder Ackerman hit a frozen rope over the left-field wall for her first collegiate home run in the fifth for the Aggies’ lone run of the game
It seemed as if it would be enough for Herzog, but in the seventh inning, the Red Raiders got on the board. A leadoff walk and a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt put runners at the corners with nobody out.
Two quick outs brought the Aggies within an out of the win, but a Trinity Cannon throwing error allowed both runners to cross the plate, giving Tech a 2-1 advantage.
Coming one strike away from back-to-back shutouts, it was a heartbreaking loss for the Aggies whose defense was playing very well until two errors in the last inning saw the game slip through their fingers.
“Obviously I am not happy at all with how we handled ourselves in the 7th inning, literally giving a game away,” said Texas A&M head coach Jo Evans. “I thought Herzog was terrific. It was just a gem if you love pitching duels.
“Ackerman was putting together great at-bats and you get that one run, and you know that’s it — that’s the kind of game we’ve got going. Herzog put herself into a jam walking the leadoff but she did everything that she needed to do to get a win. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about defense, and my priority of it, so that is a tough one to swallow.”
The Aggies (2-2) will be back at Davis Diamond on Monday for a rematch with Central Arkansas. First pitch is scheduled for 11:30 a.m.