No-No! Leavitt & Kennedy toss combined gem in 12-0 rout of PVAMU
A No-No for E-squared.
Emily Leavitt and Emiley Kennedy achieved greatness in No. 23 Texas A&M’s run-rule of Prairie View A&M on Tuesday afternoon, 12-0. According to Texas A&M’s record books, they teamed up for the first recorded combined no-hitter since at least 2000.
“I wanted to get (Leavitt and Kennedy) some bullpen work but with live batter, so I knew going in that Leavitt was going to throw for two innings and Kennedy was going to throw the next innings,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “I’m happy with what we did today.”
Earning the start in the circle, Leavitt started off the game on the wrong foot, walking her first batter, but she swiftly and profoundly found her rhythm, striking out the three ensuing hitters.
Another walk put a runner on first in the second, but that’s the furthest any Panther got all day, as their four runners never reached second.
Following suit on Leavitt’s excellent outing, Kennedy entered the circle to relieve as Ford had planned to do.
Kennedy made quick work of her first inning, sitting down the side in five pitches.
In the fourth, four straight balls put Biviana Figueroa on base, but was later caught stealing.
“I thought she did a really good job,” Ford said of Kennedy. “She was really efficient her first inning and continued to pound the zone. I’m happy with what she was able to get out of today.”
Kennedy registered her first strikeout of the day to end her second frame. Two more punchouts came in the final stanza to send the Aggies home early, and Kennedy tallied her ninth win of the season.
The gem could not be celebrated without an excellent performance from A&M’s offense.
Nine hits produced 12 runs with most of the damage coming in the first and fourth frames. Allie Enright highlighted the offense with two doubles and four RBI.
“I thought we did a good job of taking walks when we needed to, and then Enright came up big for us that first inning,” Ford said. “When you have some of those midweek games, it's important for us to not chase and not get out of our zone.”
While seven other batters each recorded a hit, five reached safely thanks to eight free passes by the Panther’s pitching staff.
Continuing their midweek dominance, the Aggies have now outscored their midweek opponents, 48-6.
“We have Houston still left,” Ford said. “That’s what those midweeks should look like. We should get some people in, some at-bats in.”
The victory also marked No. 30 for Ford at Texas A&M. In her 13-year career as a head coach, Ford now has 10 campaigns with 30 or more wins.
Up next, the Aggies will host Missouri for their final conference series of the 2023 season. Friday’s first pitch is set for 5 p.m. CT at Davis Diamond.
“I want us to leave it all on all the field,” Ford said. “We still have yet to put together a really strong pitching performance and a really strong offensive performance. We had glimpses of it, for sure, this past weekend. Scrap it all together and go out there and compete our tails off.”
