Aggie softball claims a fall exhibition edition of Battle of the Brazos, 7-5
A fall edition of the Battle of the Brazos.
On a warm Wednesday night at Davis Diamond, Texas A&M used a monster third inning to move past Baylor in a 10-inning exhibition, 7-5.
Returning to Davis Diamond for their second exhibition of the fall, it was another opportunity for Trisha Ford to showcase her versatile lineup and see her pitching staff in live action.
This offseason, Ford went into the transfer portal, reeling in five players who all made contributions in the exhibition and are sure to make an impact in the spring.
The Bears delivered the first punch with a 4-0 lead. Yet, there was an immediate response from Ford's Aggies.
Georgia transfer Paislie Allen led off the 10-batter fourth with A&M's first hit of the night. From there, the Maroon & White took charge. After an RBI groundout from Hailey Golden that scored the initial run, Mya Perez and Oklahoma State transfer Micaela Wark each sent a teammate home to knot things up.
It is clear that freshman catcher Maddie Sauni is getting quickly accustomed to life in Aggieland. After homering last week vs. Louisiana Monroe, Sauni came in clutch with a two-run single to take the lead, 6-4.
The Bears were no slouch, as a few highly regarded transfers made it interesting early. Arizona State transfer Cambree Creager challenged the Ags initially in the circle with two scoreless frames.
One of Ford's prized portal pick-ups got the start in the circle as Taylor Pannell's clean start led into the action-packed third. The nation's leader in saves a year ago, the Missouri transfer gave up three hits, including a two-run bomb to Karynton Dawson, a .263 hitter last year as a freshman.
After Pannell's stint in the circle, Sidne Peters went to work in the middle innings and did not allow a run. Sidelined with injury for the majority of conference play her first year as an Aggie, Ford & Co. look to expand Peters’ role as a senior.
Kate Munnerlyn took over in the seventh and faced some adversity. Primarily used as a closer last spring, this was familiar territory for Munnerlyn. The sophomore did allow a run on a bases-loaded walk, but from there, she pushed through, ending with a huge strikeout against Amber Toven to end the threat.
Another pair of big moments came from Allen, who made a leaping grab at second base and a sliding one in left field.
The quietly talented Baylor lineup kept it close, but Grace Sparks kept the Bears' bats at bay in the final two innings.
Totaling 15 hits, A&M took care of business without needing the longball and saw plenty of role players get live at-bats.
Ford & Co. will be back at it on Thursday night, taking on McLennan at Davis Diamond at 6 p.m.
