COLLEGE STATION – No. 10 Texas A&M softball tallied nine runs on nine hits Sunday as the Aggies defeated No. 4 LSU, 9-5, to win the series at the Aggie Softball Complex.
“I thought our kids played hard,” head coach Jo Evans said. “I thought we came out and fought today. We had our backs against the wall after a pretty poor performance a day before and LSU had a great performance. Today, we took charge at home and won the series against a really great ball club. I am proud of our team.”
A&M (27-3, 2-1 SEC) jumped all over LSU starter Allie Walljasper, scoring three runs in the first and one in the second.
In the first, freshman Kaitlyn Alderink reached on a fielder’s choice before sophomore Tori Vidales singled to right center to give the Aggies runners on first and second with one out. Senior Cali Lanphear belted a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right for her eighth dinger of the season.
Freshman Keeli Milligan got the second inning started with a one-out bunt single before moving into scoring position with her 32nd stolen base of the season. Alderink recorded an infield single, moving Milligan to third, before Lanphear drew a walk to load the bases. Sophomore Kristen Cuyos was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many innings, allowing Milligan to score.
The Tigers (25-5, 3-3 SEC) got a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Elyse Thornhill, but the Aggies countered with three in the bottom half.
Milligan led off the inning with an infield single and stole her second base of the game as Alderink singled to center and advanced to second on the throw to third. Following a Lanphear walk to load the bases, Cuyos and sophomore Ashley Walters drew back-to-back walks, plating Milligan and Alderink. Senior Breanna Dozier drove in Lanphear with a sacrifice fly to right field.
LSU rallied in the sixth, scoring four runs on four hits to cut the lead to 7-5. Sophomore Kayla Ober, who earned her first save of the season, got out of the jam on one pitch as freshman Riley Sartain turned a 5-3 double play with the bases juiced.
A&M answered in the sixth with two runs on a Walters RBI groundout and a fielding miscue by LSU, allowing senior pinch runner Alex Masek to score.
Freshman Samantha Show improved her record to 16-3 on the season, throwing 5.1 innings, giving up seven hits while striking out two. Ober tossed 1.2 innings of no-hit relief to close out the game.
The Aggies return to action March 25-27 against No. 12 Georgia in Athens, Ga. Friday’s game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s games will begin at 1 p.m.
All games can be seen on the SEC Network +, available through WatchESPN and the ESPN app and can be heard locally on KWBC 1550 AM or online at www.RadioAggieland.com.
To learn more about Texas A&M softball, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieSoftball on Twitter.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics