Aggies blank both Lamar and Campbell, start Reveille Classic 2-0

A&M’s annual Reveille Classic held at Davis Diamond serves as a benchmark for the Aggies’ early-season play prior to the start of SEC matchups. The Aggies opened this season’s Classic with Friday shutouts of both Lamar and Campbell.

Game one: Texas A&M 8, Lamar 0

To say A&M ended the opening game with a bang would be an understatement.

While the Aggies got off to a slow start, a dominant offensive performance in the bottom of the fourth catapulted the Maroon and White to victory.

A&M had one hit in the first inning, while the Cardinals managed to post two, half of their total hits earned in the game.

In the bottom of the second, the Aggies scored their first run of the contest. Senior infielder Ashlynn Walls sprinted to home plate on a sacrifice by sophomore utility player Jourdyn Campbell.

Angelina Alcantar, TexAgs

Makinzy Herzog is now 4-1 on the season in the circle. 

The third inning was also fairly slow. Junior pitcher/outfielder Makinzy Herzog pushed an RBI hit through the right side, scoring freshman pitcher and outfielder Grace Uribe. 

It was in the bottom of the fourth when the Aggies found momentum and showed their offensive strength. Five players touched home, including Campbell, Uribe and Herzog. In addition, catcher and utility player Kelly Martinez and senior outfielder Kelbi Fortenberry scored.

“It’s fun to see Grace get up there and get her first few collegiate hits,” Said head coach Jo Evans about freshman pitcher Grace Uribe. “It’s nice to see her get out there and get comfortable.”

During the very first at-bat of the bottom of the fifth, senior infielder Dani Elder put the matchup away when she launched a cannon shot over the fence. It was the League City native’s second home run of the season.

The strength in the outfield and pitching was certainly also on display, as the Aggies did not allow Lamar to score a single run.

Uribe showed discipline and stamina in the circle. The true freshman played the entire ball game and only allowed four hits.

In addition to striking out three, Uribe also showed her offensive power by earning the first two hits of her career in Aggieland.

A&M had to make a quick turnaround, playing in the very next game of the tournament against Campbell. 

Game two: Texas A&M 3, Campbell 0 

by Garrett Kettle

While the second game didn’t feature as much offensive firepower as the first, the contest still ended completely one-sided in favor of the Aggies. 

Makinzy Herzog got the start, and once again, she did not disappoint. In Campbell’s first five at-bats, Herzog sat down four hitters. This was en route to a career-high 10 strikeouts from the junior, including two straight to end the game. Herzog credited the team’s consistent offense on the day for her performance. 

“That's just the best thing to know when you're a pitcher,” said Herzog. “That you've got a great offense behind you that has your back.”

The Aggie offense wasn’t flashy in game two, but they got the job done. A sac-fly from Jourdyn Campbell after a Shaylee Ackerman double got the scoring started for the Aggies in the second inning.

In the third, two straight walks gave the Ags early momentum. But that momentum was gone after Herzog lined one to the first baseman for the double play. It looked like the Aggies would likely strand a runner on second until Kelbi Fortenberry ripped one into left field for the RBI. Fortenberry then stole second and was able to make it home on the next play after a dropped throw to first gave the Fighting Camels the only error of the game. 

Despite being out-hit by Campbell five to three, the Aggie defense never let up, stranding seven Fighting Camels on base en route to a 3-0 win. 

“You can just feel so much more grounded when you're defense and pitching work the way ours did today,” said Evans. “I really like the way this felt today in terms of taking care of the ball and what we did.”

Up Next: The Aggies return to Davis Diamond on Saturday to play in their third game of the Reveille Classic, facing Campbell a second time. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., and the action can be followed on the 12th Man app or 97.3 FM.