Three-Run Eighth Inning Pushes No. 10 Texas A&M Past No. 22 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 10 Texas A&M softball team defeated No. 22 Mississippi State, 4-1, in eight innings to win the series at Nusz Park.

Heading into the eighth inning tied at 1-1, the Aggies (34-9, 7-5 SEC) took advantage of a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt, allowing Keeli Milligan to score, before Tori Vidales put the nail in the coffin with a two-run dinger.

Lexi Smith earned the win for the Aggies, throwing four innings of relief allowing just one hit with two strikeouts to move to 6-1 on the year. Trinity Harrington got the start for Texas A&M and threw four innings, giving up four hits, one run, three walks with three strikeouts.

Offensively, Kaitlyn Alderink led the Aggies with two hits as Milligan, Sarah Hudek and Vidales each recorded a hit.

Cassady Knudsen suffered the loss for the Bulldogs (29-11, 4-8 SEC) giving up three hits, three runs, two earned with a strikeout in 1.2 innings of relief.


KEY INNINGS

T1 | Aggies struck first as Keeli Milligan reached on a fielding error and scored on a Sarah Hudek RBI double down the left field line. A&M 1, MSU 0

B4 | Mississippi State evened the game on a RBI single from Taylor Kelly, scoring Kat Moore.  A&M 1, MSU 1

T8 Keeli Milligan led off the frame with a single up the middle and scored on a throwing error by the Bulldog third baseman on a sacrifice bunt from Sarah Hudek. With Hudek standing at third, Tori Vidales blasted a two-run homer over the scoreboard in left A&M 4, MSU 1


Top Offensive Players:
Kaitlyn Alderink | 2-4
Keeli Milligan | 1-3, 2 R, BB
Sarah Hudek | 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, R
Tori Vidales | 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB

Pitching Breakdown:
Trinity Harrington | ND, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO
Lexi Smith | W, 4.0 IP, H, BB, 2 SO


AGGIE NOTES

  • Sarah Hudek extended her hitting streak to seven games and has reached base in eight consecutive games
  • Tori Vidales‘ home run was the 59th of her career and is 11 homers away from breaking the school’s career record

 


ON DECK 
The Aggies host Kentucky for a three-game series at the Aggie Softball Complex. Game one is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start, while Saturday and Sunday’s contests are slated for 2 p.m. on ESPN2 and the SEC Network, respectively.


STAY CONNECTED
Fans can follow the Aggies wherever they go by following @AggieSoftball on Instagram and Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TAMUSoftball.

Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

More News