No. 3 A&M beats No. 6 Tigers to complete statement SEC sweep

Game #42: No. 3 Texas A&M 9, No. 6 LSU 7
Records: Texas A&M (37-5, 11-3), LSU (35-8, 8-7)
WP: Emily Leavitt (4-0)
LP: Tatum Clopton (5-1)
Save: Emiley Kennedy (3)
Box Score

Coming off a close-call 9-7 win on Saturday, the Maroon & White had the chance to make a statement on Sunday with a sweep.

And sweep, they did.

Behind a composed and confident outing from senior Emily Leavitt and a three-run blast from freshman KK Dement, No. 3 Texas A&M shutout No. 6 LSU through six innings and held off a late push to seal a 4-1 win, securing the program’s first-ever sweep over the Tigers.

“It’s mostly about my breathing,” Leavitt said postgame. “Sometimes, you get a little too hyped up out there, so I think focusing on your breath really helps a lot.”

That calm presence was evident as she tossed four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and keeping the Tigers off balance with precision and poise.

Trusting her defense, Leavitt worked around a second-inning error with ease and cruised into the fourth, where the Aggie offense struck.

A single from Koko Wooley and a walk drawn by Allie Enright set the table for Dement, who launched a no-doubter into the scoreboard — her ninth home run of the season.

“It’s just trusting all the work I’ve put in and staying confident in the box,” Dement said. “And I know that if I don’t get the job done, the person behind me will.”

Trisha Ford praised the freshman’s approach.

“She knew runners were at first and second. She knew the pitcher was coming inside. That’s a very high IQ for a freshman.”

After the three-run fourth, Ford played the matchup game, handing the ball to Kate Munnerlyn, who delivered a quick inning before Emiley Kennedy came in to get the final nine outs.

“Lefty” continued to pump high-70s heat, touching 74.5 mph on the inside corner, and while LSU pushed one across in the seventh, the Aggie ace shut the door with a strikeout to end it.

Offensively, the Aggies tacked on an insurance run in the fifth after Kennedy Powell ripped a triple and was driven in by a sacrifice fly from Amari Harper.

Ford couldn’t say enough about her team’s composure in front of what was reported as a record-breaking crowd at Davis Diamond. 

“Sundays are gut days,” Ford said. “But they just don’t panic, they keep working.”

The teams’ trust in each other was evident with this weekend's matchup, and Ford recognized the team effort behind the victory. 

“They’re understanding how to work together as a team, and that's what I'm most proud of,” Ford said. “I will take sweeps every weekend.”

The Aggies have now won 12 straight and are riding high heading into the back stretch of SEC play.

A&M will travel to No. 14 Missouri to begin a three-game set on Thursday, April 17 at 6 p.m. CT.