Aggies resilient in game one win over No. 23 South Carolina, 6-3
After a hard-fought series against LSU, the Aggies returned to Davis Diamond on Friday to face off against another ranked conference opponent. The No. 23 South Carolina Gamecocks come into College Station after getting swept in their first SEC series against Arkansas, making this a high-stakes series for both squads early in conference play.
This game was not short on excitement, as the Aggies were able to secure the first win of the series and their second win over a ranked team this season in a slugfest with the Gamecocks, 6-3.
The home team came out hot, taking an early 2-0 lead in the first thanks to a double from Bre Warren and a no-doubter over the center-field wall from Haley Lee. Lee now has 11 homers on the year, moving her into the top 10 in the country and second in the SEC.
The Gamecocks threatened early and often, but some clutch pitching from Makinzy Herzog saw six Gamecocks left on base heading into the fourth, which included a strikeout to get out of a bases-loaded situation in the third.
However, the Gamecocks got going in the fourth inning after three straight walks by Makinzy Herzog loaded the bases with no outs. A wild throw to home on the following grounder from Rylen Wiggins would give the Aggies their first error of the game and the Gamecocks their first run. The next Gamecock at the plate singled to left, quickly tying things up and forcing the Aggies to go to the bullpen for Grace Uribe. USC would take the lead after Ashlynn Walls fumbled the grounder at second for the Aggies’ second error of the game.
But Walls redeemed herself in the fourth, beating out the throw to first on an infield single after an error from the Gamecocks allowed Fortenberry to get to third on the previous at-bat.
The game was all knotted up at three headed to the fifth until Haley Lee ripped a grounder down the left-field line to give the Aggies a one-run advantage. A few at-bats later, Morgan Smith would break things open with a single to left, bringing home two more Aggies for a three-run lead heading into the sixth.
The Gamecocks would never recover, giving the Aggies another game one win in their second SEC series of the season.
On a rare occasion where Herzog would have to be pulled from the game, head coach Jo Evans is happy with the depth she saw tonight in her bullpen.
“Typically Herzog would take that game and run with it, but tonight just wasn’t her night,” said Evans. “To be able to rely on another pitcher who is a freshman is really important. Every game Uribe has gone out there, she hasn’t been perfect, but she is willing to attack hitters and get us some outs when needed.”
After winning the first of the series last week against LSU, the Aggies dropped two straight. Lee stressed the importance of avoiding that same fate in this series.
“Scoring and then continuing to put the pressure on is important,” said Lee. “We have to keep pushing forward and staying in the game while avoiding just settling in after a run.”
The Aggies return to Davis Diamond for game two of the series tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.