No. 5 A&M closes out Clearwater Invitational with 4-2 win over Charlotte
Game #11: No. 5 Texas A&M 4, Charlotte 2
Records: Texas A&M (10-1, 0-0), Charlotte (2-7, 0-0)
WP: Grace Sparks (1-0)
LP: Avery Shamblin (0-2)
Box Score
To close the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, No. 5 Texas A&M softball defeated Charlotte, 4-2.
As a back-to-back NCAA Tournament team, Charlotte sat at No. 3 in the American Athletic Conference in home runs, runs, RBIs and walks entering Sunday morning.
For the Aggies, a two-run lead entering the seventh inning was enough this time after dropping a gut-wrenching game to No. 10 Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Earning her first career start for the Maroon & White, A&M’s 6-foot-3 catcher DeeDee Baldwin contributed to the winning effort, as right-handers Emiley Leavitt and Grace Sparks commanded in the circle.
Baldwin’s day was highlighted by two clutch RBIs to give the Aggies the lead in the fourth, as well as picking off a runner in scoring position.
Head coach Trisha Ford expressed how it was important to keep everyone on the team healthy, especially playing five games in four days.
Leavitt, who got the nod for the Aggies, gave up two earned runs, allowing four hits with two strikeouts. Early on, she was tested by the Charlotte offense, as the 49ers remained disciplined at the dish and prolonged at-bats by going deep in the count.
The 49ers registered their only two runs in the second inning off two RBI singles by Kari Shedrick and Addison Lund.
After two innings of work for Leavitt, Ford made the move to put Sparks in the circle to close out the game.
Sparks punched out two 49ers and only allowed three hits. In the third and fourth innings, she shut down six consecutive batters before allowing two singles in the fifth. From there, Charlotte’s offense had no answers.
Giving star shortstop Koko Wooley an off day, Kennedy Powell led off for the Maroon & White. Powell’s first at-bat went as planned, with a leadoff single and a stolen base to get the ball rolling.
Mac Barbara, who only recorded one hit the entire tournament and went 0-for-3 on the day, advanced Powell on a groundout before Amari Harper’s RBI groundout scored A&M’s first run.
The Aggies’ bats were quiet in the second and third innings, with singles from Allie Enright, Powell and Harper.
In the fourth frame, Frankie Vrazel reached on an infield single, and Enright drew a walk. A clutch two-run double to center field from Baldwin gave A&M a 3-2 advantage. The Aggies added another run as Powell plated Baldwin on a sacrifice fly.
In the circle, Sparks’ outing ended well with three straight flyouts to send the Aggies home on a happy note.
On the day, A&M recorded nine hits, with Powell, Harper and Enright each registering a pair. A&M also left seven runners on base, while Charlotte had seven hits and four runners left on.
Next up for the Aggies is a doubleheader against Florida A&M in the JoAnne Graf Classic in Tallahassee, Florida, beginning on Friday, Feb. 21, at 9 a.m. CT and 11:30 a.m. CT.