Aggie softball defeats Texas in exhibition action at Davis Diamond, 12-6

A fall ball victory that just means... A little more.

For the first time as Southeastern Conference foes, Texas A&M handled Texas on a brisk Friday evening at Davis Diamond, 12-6.

Trisha Ford's four offseason transfers shined in Friday's win over the Longhorns.

San Diego State transfer slugger Mac Barbara and Washington transfer Ojo Johnson offered more pop to an already talented lineup. In the circle, A&M looked to trusty lefty Emiley Kennedy to get the night started, but outings from transfers Grace Sparks and Sidne Peters provided depth that A&M has not had in the past.

In the first, Texas knocked through back-to-back base hits with dangerous Reese Atwood at the plate. Last year's Big 12 Player of the Year made the Aggies pay early, mashing a three-run homer in the first.

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs

Mac Barbara’s three-run homer in the first evened the score at 3-3.

Yet, a key transfer addition for the Aggies returned the favor. Barbara received a warm welcome to Aggieland with a three-run blast to tie things up in an eventful opening frame.

After Texas plated another in the second inning, the Aggies struck back again. Kylei Griffin's RBI knock evened the score at four a piece in the bottom of the third.

The rivals continued to trade punches.

As the Longhorns pushed another run across, Kennedy Powell responded by lacing a two-run single through the left side to take a 5-4 lead.

The score returned to deadlocked with Katie Stewart's solo blast, but not for long.

The Aggie offense found their groove in the fifth. Johnson's two-run double, followed by Griffin's second base hit of the night, tacked on a trio of runs.

The 9-6 advantage grew soon after as Amari Harper's RBI single and a pair of errors from the Longhorns capped the scoring as A&M downed the Horns.

Back in May, the Aggies traveled to Austin with eyes on a trip to the Women's College World Series. Yet, Ford's Ags fell heartbreakingly short of taking down the then-No. 1 overall seed.

Throughout the offseason, Ford's mission was to come back stronger.

Returning 13, including star pitcher Kennedy, the third-year head coach needed to replace the production of Julia Cottrill, Trinity Cannon and Rylen Wiggins, seniors who played a huge part in A&M's postseason run during 2024.

That production was supplemented on Friday night. The softball program secured its only opportunity to beat Texas this year, as it is not scheduled to play this season.

So, Friday night's win against the team that disrupted last year's run to Oklahoma City?

It means just a little more.