
News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The No. 5 Aggies swept Sunday’s doubleheader winning game one against Idaho State, 4-1, followed by defeating No. 13 Texas Tech, 7-6, Sunday afternoon to wrap up the Texas A&M Invitational at Davis Diamond.
After a slow start and facing a one-run deficit, Texas A&M (20-2) plated three runs on four hits, including an RBI-single from Amari Harper and a 2-RBI double courtesy of Allie Enright to lead Idaho State (14-4), 3-1, after the fourth inning. Aggie starter Emily Leavitt held off a pesky Bengal offense striking out a season-high eight batters before hitting the showers after the top half of the sixth frame.
Frankie Vrazel led off the bottom half with a single, while Harper followed with an RBI-double to add an insurance run. With a 4-1 lead and three outs remaining, All-American Emiley Kennedy entered the circle to force a fly out, ground out and strikeout for her second save of the season.
Game two featured a scoreless opening frame, followed by the Aggies hanging back-to-back crooked innings to lead 7-2 after the third. Enright broke the ice in the second frame with a solo shot to left center, while a pair of Aggies reached base via hit-by-pitch and scored on a Koko Wooley triple in which chaos ensued as the right fielder made a throwing error that allowed Wooley to cross home and make it 4-0.
After Texas Tech (18-6) scored two runs in the third, Ol’ Sarge’s charges answered back as KK Dement doubled down the third base line and Frankie Vrazel scored Dement on a ground out. With two-outs in the inning, Olivia Johnson cranked a 281-foot solo shot to left to lead 7-2.
Texas Tech kept the Aggie bats silent the remainder of the game, while the Red Raiders chipped away at the deficit scoring a run in the fourth and three runs in the third. Despite having three errors, Texas A&M’s defense flashed signs of excellence when it mattered the most as Johnson caught a runner trying to steal second in the top of the sixth and Vrazel tracked down a ball in right center with a supermanesque diving catch in the final frame to help seal the win, 7-6.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M opens SEC play at Davis Diamond against No. 3 Florida beginning Friday at 6 p.m., while game two is on Saturday at 4 p.m. and the series finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.
NOTES
- Senior catcher Olivia Johnson hit her first home run as an Aggie with a 281-foot solo jack to left center in the third inning of game two, marking the longest home run this season by an Aggie. Johnson reached base in each plate appearance finishing the game 1-for-1, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 HBP.
- Sophomore Mya Perez extended her reached base streak to 17 games after she walked in her first plate appearance in game one and singled to second base in her second at-bat of game two.
- Freshman Kate Munnerlyn earned her first career save after entering the circle with a one-run lead in the sixth inning against Texas Tech. Munnerlyn faced seven batters, while yielding only one hit and one walk.
- Senior Emily Leavitt earned her first win of the season and 37th of her career after going 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K, while Grace Sparks was the winning pitcher in game two going 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 2 BB.
- Senior Koko Wooley made her 175th and 176th career starts at shortstop finishing the day 1-for-7, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 R.
- The Aggies went 5-1 at the Texas A&M Invitational, while head coach Trisha Ford moved to 99-37 at Texas A&M and 496-263-1 all-time as a head coach.
- The top 15 non-conference win is the first at home for the Aggies since 2016 taking down No. 7 UCLA, 5-1, on Feb. 12, while the last top 15 win at home came against No. 3 Tennessee, 3-1, in 2023 on April 1.
- Texas A&M has started 20-2 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2016-17, when the 2017 team started 27-2 and the 2016 squad began 26-2.