News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
The No. 11 Texas A&M softball team dominated opening day in run-rule fashion, defeating ACU 8-0 in six innings before posting a five-inning 9-1 win over Utah State on Thursday at Davis Diamond.
Sydney Lessentine dominated in the circle in Game 1, striking out seven batters in 5.0 innings of work. She held opposing hitters to a .059 batting average without issuing a walk. After striking out the first batter and allowing the second to reach on an error, Lessentine retired the next 10 batters before ACU (0-2) recorded its first hit in the fourth inning.
Mya Perez put the Aggies on the board with an RBI single in the opening frame to score Ariel Kowalewski, while Paislie Allen homered in her first at-bat as an Aggie in the second inning. Texas A&M (2-0) plated four runs in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by Micaela Wark and an RBI double from Tallen Edwards. The Maroon & White walked it off in the sixth as Perez homered to left-center, followed by a KK Dement double up the middle to score pinch runner Hailey Golden. The 8-0 victory marked the sixth consecutive season-opening run-rule win.
Texas A&M carried its momentum into the nightcap, plating three runs in the first inning. Kowalewski singled to right field to score Kennedy Powell before Perez crushed her second home run of the day to give the Aggies a 3-0 lead. Utah State (1-1) answered in the top of the second, but Texas A&M responded with two runs in the third as Wark homered for the second time and Allen drove in a run with a single to left field.
The Maroon & White entered run-rule territory in the fifth inning when the Aggies loaded the bases on a single and consecutive walks before Dement launched a grand slam off the Davis Diamond video board.
Junior Sidne Peters matched a career-high 10 strikeouts while allowing only one walk, one hit and one run in her second complete game as an Aggie.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M continues play in the Aggie Classic against Providence at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Davis Diamond.
