Game #32: No. 15 Texas A&M 18, Sam Houston 3 (5 innings)
Records: Texas A&M (23-9, 5-1), Sam Houston (21-15, 6-3)
WP: Grace Sparks (3-0)
LP: Cassie Marshall (0-1)
Box Score
The bubble barrage at Davis Diamond never stopped on Tuesday night, as No. 15 Texas A&M run-ruled the Sam Houston Bearkats 18-3 in five innings. The midweek matchup serves as the last game before the Aggies head to Austin to take on No. 1 Texas.
A&M’s firepower took little time to explode, as three Aggie home runs were shot in the bottom of the first inning. The Maroon & White had five home runs throughout the night, accounting for eight of the 18 runs scored.
“A tremendous job offensively tonight,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “It’s important for us to keep building. We started off this year a little rocky, so it’s really important for us to stay consistent and build on this. We did a tremendous job of coming out in the first inning and just punching inning after inning.”
To kickstart the inning, Tallen Edwards hit a two-run shot for her fourth home run of the year, followed by an identical solo home run over the center field fence from Mya Perez for her 13th.
Ariel Kowalewski followed suit, hammering a two-run homer in the first. She doubled down in the second inning, sending a three-run shot to center field for her sixth of the year.
Kowalewski hadn’t hit two home runs in a single game until Tuesday night.
Micaela Wark added her fifth homer as an Aggie in the third inning, increasing the Aggie lead to 12-2. The two-run shot marks her third home run in the past four games.
“I’m very happy they decided to be Aggies,” Ford said. “Wark’s having a tremendous year, Tallen as well. AK has been huge, you know, had some loud outs this past weekend and even at LSU. She’s seeing the ball well…and I think we’re a very different team if we don’t have Tallen or Micaela.”
Despite a loud night for the Aggie offense, Sam Houston stood steady in the box. The team recorded eight hits in five innings, led by Bearkat’s junior second baseman Kinsey Hobbs, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI single in the fourth inning.
Bearkats’ freshman center fielder Sophia Lundstrom went 2-for-3 on the day, recording two singles and a run scored in the third on an RBI single by junior first baseman Veronica Harrison.
Senior Grace Sparks started in the circle for the Aggies, allowing six hits and two earned runs in three innings of work.
Taylor Pannell relieved Sparks in the fourth inning, allowing two hits and one earned run. Pannell struck out Bearkats’ senior third baseman Tricia Yarotsky to end the game in the fifth.
“No matter what, at this level, you have to be able to come in and execute,” Ford said. “I have a feeling that we didn’t execute at the level we needed to…It takes a very high level to be able to stay in and pitch at a consistent rate.”
The Aggies end on a high note on Tuesday night before traveling to Austin to face the Longhorns in the third SEC series of the season.
“I like that it’s going to be a little spicy,” Ford said. “That’s what college athletics is about. For me, it’s keeping our heads focused on the task at hand instead of all the other noise that’s around.
“We’re gonna have to attack strikes…and we got to keep their offense off bay. They’re going to score runs off us. Can we punch back? That’s where my head’s at.”
First pitch of the weekend series is set for Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT.
