Story by Marissa Avanzato, Texas A&M Athletics Communications
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 24 Texas A&M softball (25-8, 4-5 SEC) fell to No. 4 Alabama (29-4, 9-3 SEC), 14-6, in six innings in the series finale Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium. The Aggies started off strong with a 5-3 lead, but ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth after an eight-run inning by the Tide.
For the second consecutive day, Makinzy Herzog reached first on a single through the left side and stole second. Sophomore Shaylee Ackerman continued her hot-hitting weekend, launching a two-run shot to straight away centerfield to give the Maroon & White a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ackerman’s six of her last seven hits have been home runs. She now ranks second on the team with nine.
Alabama quickly took the lead after a three-run shot by Bailey Hemphill to go ahead 3-2 at the end of the first inning. The Tide threatened with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second, but freshman second baseman Mariana Torres snagged a ball up the middle to keep the Tide from scoring.
A three-run inning in the third lifted the Aggies to a 5-3 lead, highlighted by a two-run shot by Haley Lee, marking her 14th home run of the season. Ackerman walked, stole second, moved to third on a fielder’s choice and ran home on a wild pitch to give the Maroon & White a two-run advantage.
The Tide broke the game open with an eight-run inning in the bottom of the fourth highlighted by a Kaylee Tow grand slam to take the lead, 11-5.
Texas A&M was able to get a run back in the top of the fifth, 11-6, after a sacrifice fly by Kelly Martinez, but Alabama tacked on two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to go on top 13-6. The Tide plated a run in the bottom of the sixth to secure the series, 14-6.
Kelsey Broadus, Grace Uribe, Makinzy Herzog and Kayla Poynter all shared time in the circle and combined for 16 hits on 14 runs, 12 of which were earned.
KEY INNINGS
T1 | Makinzy Herzog singled through the left side and Shaylee Ackerman homered to centerfield. A&M 2, UA 0
B1 | Alexis Mack singled to first base, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. KB Sides walked and Bailey Hemphill homered to centerfield. UA 3, A&M 2
T3 | Makinzy Herzog walked and stole second. Haley Lee homered to centerfield. Shaylee Ackerman walked and stole second. Trinity Cannon walked and Kelly Martinez reached first on a fielder’s choice as Ackerman moved to third. Ackerman scored on a wild pitch. A&M 5, UA 3
B4 | Maddie Morgan singled to centerfield and Jenna Johnson pinch ran for her. Savannah Woodard singled to right field as Johnson advanced to third. Woodard stole second. Elissa Brown singled up the middle to score Johnson and Woodard. Alexis Mack singled to first base as Brown moved to second. KB Sides singled up the middle and Brown would score from second. Bailey Hemphill loaded the bases after being hit by a pitch and Kaylee Tow hit a grand slam. Lexi Kilfoyl singled down the left field line and advanced to second on a Claire Jenkins ground out and moved to third on a wild pitch. Maddie Morgan walked and Savannah Woodard singled to score Kilfoyl. UA 11, A&M 5
T5 | Bre Warren reached first on an Alabama fielding error and Ackerman walked. Trinity Cannon singled to left field to load the bases. Kelly Martinez flied out to right field and Warren tagged up on the play to score. UA 11, A&M 6
B5 | Bailey Hemphill walked, Kaylee Tow reached on an A&M fielding error and Lexi Kilfoyl walked to load the bases. Maddie Morgan flied out to left field and Kayla Davis, who pinch ran for Hemphill tagged up on the catch. Savannah Woodard singled through the right side to score Tow. UA 13, A&M 6
B6 | Kat Grill singled through the right side and Bailey Hemphill doubled to left center to advance Grill to third. Kaylee Tow singled to the shortstop and Grill scored. UA 14, A&M 6
Top Offensive Players:
Shaylee Ackerman| 1-for-1, 2 RBI, HR
Haley Lee| 1-for-3, 2 RBI, HR
Makinzy Herzog| 1-for-2
Rylen Wiggins| 1-for-2
Trinity Cannon| 1-for-1
Morgan Smith| 1-for-1
Pitching Breakdown:
Kelsey Broadus – 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 SO, 2 BB
Grace Uribe (6-3) – 0.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 SO, 0 BB
Makinzy Herzog – 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 SO, 1 BB
Kayla Poynter –2.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 SO, 3 BB
ON DECK
Texas A&M travels to San Marcos, Texas to take on Texas State Tuesday, April 6 at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Softball Stadium.