Shelby Hild, Athletics Communications
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M softball team (5-0) concluded the 2022 Aggie Classic on Sunday with a 9-1 victory over UT Arlington (0-4) at Davis Diamond.
The five-inning win marked the fourth run-rule of the weekend for the Aggies. Junior Shaylee Ackerman made her first collegiate appearance in the circle for A&M, tossing the complete game while striking out six Mavericks.
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
vs. UTA Arlington – W, 9-1 (5 inn.)
- Haley Lee: 2-for-2, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB
- Cayden Baker: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, BB
- Morgan Smith: 1-for-2, R, RBI, BB
PITCHING BREAKDOWN
vs. UT Arlington – W, 9-1 (5 inn.)
- Shaylee Ackerman: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 6 K
KEY INNINGS / NOTABLES
vs. UT Arlington – W, 9-1 (5 inn.)
- With bases loaded in the top of the first, a single sent up through the middle helped the Mavericks jump on the board, despite a pair of strikeouts from Shaylee Ackerman in her first collegiate appearance in the circle.
- The Aggies responded in the home half of the frame, utilizing a pair of UTA errors and hits from Koko Wooley and Morgan Smith, to charge ahead, 3-1.
- Four more runs on four hits, including Cayden Baker’s first career hit, in the third helped the Aggies hold a six-run cushion.
- A sac fly to centerfield from Ackerman pushed Lee home to extend A&M’s lead in the fourth.
- Lee launched an RBI single to right field in the home half of the fifth, sending Star Ferguson across home plate for the 9-1 run-rule victory.
WHAT THEY SAID
Head coach Jo Evans
On the team’s overall performance this weekend…
“You expect to win all the games you play, and we did that. You don’t want to get into a situation where you overlook an opponent, and you have a hiccup, and you lose a ball game you shouldn’t lose. I saw some good things out of our team, and I saw some things that we can do better, but as a start of the season, I’m pleased to see our progress. I thought our pitchers did a really nice job. I think we had three of those pitchers, [Shaylee] Ackerman, [Kayla] Poynter, and [Emiley] Kennedy, that had one inning where they got behind in counts and got some runners on, but all three of them did a great job just to settle themselves in and take care of business on the mound.”
Junior utility player Shaylee Ackerman
On her first time on the mound…
“The first inning was a little rocky, and it’s a little nerve wrecking going out, but once I settled in, it was a lot easier. Once we got going, all my pitches started working, rather than me forcing things through.”
UP NEXT
The Aggies travel to Sam Houston on Wednesday for a 6:30 p.m. matchup, before returning to Davis Diamond to host the Texas A&M Invitational next weekend. Tickets are available for purchase at 12thMan.com/SoftballTickets and the full tournament schedule can be found here.