Texas A&M overmatched by No. 5 Arkansas on Senior Night, 7-3

Despite a promising start, Texas A&M softball fell short of the win in the second of three with No. 5 Arkansas, falling to the Razorbacks, 7-3, on Saturday afternoon at Davis Diamond.

The Aggie defense started strong, holding the Razorbacks down in the first inning with stellar catches from the infield.

In the bottom half of the opening frame, the team took off. Freshman Katie Dack smashed a two-run homer off the top of the scoreboard to put the Aggies ahead early, but a Hannah Gammill solo shot made it 2-1 in the second.

Cade Ingersoll, TexAgs

After the game, Texas A&M honor its seniors, including All-American Haley Lee.

Back-to-back doubles by Haley Lee and Morgan Smith helped the Aggies reassume a two-run edge in the third, 3-1.

However, KB Sides’ two-run blast in the fourth tied the contest and served as a warning of what was to come.

The fifth inning saw the Razorbacks pull ahead as Danielle Gibson capitalized on a tired Grace Uribe, hitting a two-run homer of her own. The Aggies then swapped pitchers to freshman Emiley Kennedy, but Linnie Malkin’s two-run home run closed a four-run fifth, staking the visitors to a 7-3 lead.

The entire Aggie pitching staff made an appearance in the circle, with Kayla Poynter and Shaylee Ackerman both putting up 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh, respectively.

Saturday marked Texas A&M’s Senior Night, and a #23 (Smith), #24 (Makinzy Herzog) and #25 (Lee) were painted into the outfield grass to honor each of the graduating players. Texas A&M head coach Jo Evans gave a speech following the game to wish the graduating players off well as the season nears its end.

The Aggies will conclude the regular season on Sunday, with first pitch of the series finale with Arkansas slated for 12 p.m.