Game #52: #3 Texas A&M 3, #11 South Carolina 2
Records: Texas A&M (40-12, 15-9), South Carolina (34-21, 8-16)
WP: Emiley Kennedy (21-10)
LP: Alana Vawter (15-12)
Box Score
When Koko Wooley swings freely, a walk-off victory is what follows.
“We just passed the bat, and I believed in myself and trusted the process,” Wooley told the SEC Network postgame.
That statement could be summed up as trust, belief and teamwork.
These are the qualities the Aggies have echoed all season long, and it proved to pay off in the postseason on Friday afternoon.
No. 3 seed Texas A&M walked off the 11th-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in an electric come-from-behind victory to advance to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, 3-2. This victory marks just the second SEC Tournament win in program history.
A pitcher’s duel ensued early in the game as Sage Mardjetko left the Aggies looking in the box on multiple occasions. Her changeup became A&M’s kryptonite.
Emiley Kennedy proved her newest honors as All-SEC First Team to be true with her lights-out performance in the circle. While Mardjetko notched a career-high of nine strikeouts, “Lefty” amassed 10.
The Gamecocks quickly made an aggressive start as Denver Bryant was caught stealing home on the second play of the game, but a Jen Cummings single-plated Riley Blampied to jump out to a 1-0 start.
In the bottom half of the frame, Trinity Cannon launched a line drive missile over the fence to match the score, 1-1.
To follow, the Aggie offense stayed silent for the following innings while Kennedy led the charge, notching strikeout after strikeout.
But Mardjetko also continued to stall the Ags as A&M stranded six runners.
In the third, South Carolina’s Zoe Laneaux homered to center field to give the Gamecocks a lead they would hold until the very last at-bat, 2-1.
In the top of the seventh, Blampied sent one to the right-field wall, and another Aggie lived up to her All-SEC Defensive Team title as Allie Enright made the catch to end the Gamecocks’ chances of adding any insurance.
Now, it was up to the Aggie bats.
Eschete walked to start the bottom of the seventh, and All-American Alana Vawter stepped into the circle.
Kennedy Powell promptly singled up the middle with no outs.
After a strikeout and an intentional walk to load the bases, up stepped Friday’s hero.
In every prior appearance Wooley had against Vawter, she was 0-for-5.
That changed.
Normally putting down a bunt or slapping, Wooley swung away as she doubled to center field for a walk-off victory over the Gamecocks.
The Aggies’ most recent walk-off victory was a result of a Wooley homer — her first of the year.
“I settled down and took my time and let it happen,” Wooley said. “It looked down the middle to me, so I swung on it.”
Now, A&M will look for revenge as they take on No. 2 seed Florida Gators at approximately 7:30 p.m. CT.
