News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The No. 5 Aggie softball team run-ruled Texas State, 9-1, in five innings, followed by a shutout of Princeton, 5-0, to open the Texas A&M Invitational Thursday night at Davis Diamond.
After two scoreless innings to begin game one, Texas A&M (17-1) broke the ice after Kennedy Powell doubled to score Kramer Eschete and Koko Wooley with no outs. Mya Perez followed with an RBI single to send Powell home, while Kelsey Mathis scored running in place of Perez after KK Dement singled. Texas State (10-4) scratched the board the following top half with an RBI triple down the first base line as the Aggies led 4-1. The Maroon & White answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth, before Dement led off with a home run in the fifth and Wooley made it 7-1 with an RBI. Knocking on the door of a run-rule, Powell called game with a single to center field to drive in a pair for the walk-off win, 9-1.
Junior Grace Sparks earned the win going the distance finishing 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB.
The Maroon & White came out swinging in game two as Powell led off with a double and scored after Amari Harper reached on an error. Dement made it a three-run game with a two-out 2-RBI double. The Aggies added a run in the second inning after Powell singled up the middle and stole second base before crossing home plate as Harper singled through the left side for a 4-0 lead. Kylei Griffin added the final run in the fifth after leading off with her first double of the season.
Sophomore Sidne Peters asserted herself early striking out six of the first 10 batters she faced, including the first three in the opening frame. Princeton (2-3) mustered only two base runners to second base all evening, while the lone threat came in the sixth when a Tiger doubled and then was thrown out at home by Allie Enright from center field.
Peters earned her first career shutout going the distance for the first time this season and striking out a season high eight batters to move to 5-0.
UP NEXT
The Maroon & White continues the Texas A&M Invitational Friday against George Washington at 7 p.m.
NOTES
- Junior Kennedy Powell extended her on-base streak to 18 games after reaching on a fielding error in her first plate appearance in game one and a double in the first inning of game two. She registered a career high 4-RBI game finishing 2-for-3, including a double against Texas State.
- Powell’s walk-off hit against Texas State marked the second consecutive walk-off by the Conroe native after squeezing Hailey Golden home in the 3-2 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
- Powell finished the night 4-for-7, including a pair of doubles bringing her season total to a team leading five doubles and stole her team-leading ninth base of the year.
- Sophomore Mya Perez had an RBI in each game finishing 3-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 HBP, 1 SB. Perez has now recorded an RBI in four of her last five games, while driving in six runs during that span.
- Freshman KK Dement homered to left field in game one marking her fourth round tripper of the season tying a team high with Mya Perez. The rookie was 3-for-5, 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 R, 1 HBP on the night.
- Senior Koko Wooley returned to the lineup batting leadoff and started at shortstop after missing the previous six games. The senior finished the night going 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI against Texas State.
- Sophomore pitcher Sidne Peters handed out eight strikeouts, besting her season high six against Virginia.
- Texas A&M outscored its opponents 14-1, while Sidne Peters and Grace Sparks combined to yield only two walks and two extra base hits in 12.0 innings of work.
- The Aggies are now 73-12 all-time against Texas State, while moving to 3-0 all-time against Princeton.