Game #27: No. 16 Texas A&M 3, No. 17 Louisiana State 2
Records: Texas A&M (19-8, 2-0), Louisiana State (18-9, 0-5)
WP: Sidne Peters (7-3)
LP: Cede Cellura (3-2)
Save: Sidney Lessentine (1)
Box Score
Gusty conditions swept into Baton Rouge on Sunday night as No. 16 Texas A&M took down No. 17 LSU at Tiger Park, 3-2. The Aggies claimed the SEC-opening series and are 2-0 in conference play.
“It was a gritty win,” A&M head coach Trisha Ford said. “Trying to take a series on day two at LSU, I just thought we did a heck of a job.”
Senior third baseman Kennedy Powell celebrated her birthday on Sunday night by showing out for an Aggie win.
She got things going for the Maroon & White in the first inning, but not before hitting a foul ball off her foot. A few one-legged hops and a limp to the box later, Powell punched her first hit of the weekend into center field for a single.
Powell also recorded three stolen bases on the evening, bringing her season total to 15.
Howling Louisiana winds were no match for junior Mya Perez, who stepped up after Powell and drove a two-run homer over the left field wall, securing an early 2-0 lead. Perez’s homer was her second of the series and 12th of the year.
Perez added an RBI single in the sixth, scoring Powell to build A&M’s lead to 3-0. Perez went 2-for-3 Sunday, boosting her batting average to a team-high .493.
“Mya Perez came up big for us,” Ford said. “KP, it’s her birthday today, so she had a great day, but overall, we had a really solid performance up and down our lineup.”
On the defensive end, junior pitcher Sidne Peters stood steady in the circle across six innings of work. In an important start, the right-hander struck out seven while allowing three hits and two runs.
In the seventh, sophomore Sydney Lessentine subbed in for Peters after LSU’s sophomore first baseman Tori Edwards’ sixth-inning solo home run cut the Aggie lead to 3-1.
“It’s something we talked about a lot this week, not allowing that third hit to happen,” Ford said. “We really can’t let that third hit happen, but I thought we did a great job of buckling down and making sure they execute pitches in high-leverage situations.”
For the second night in a row, the Bayou Bengals threatened in the seventh.
Junior pinch hitter Maddox McKee crossed home plate on an RBI groundout by senior third baseman Avery Hodge, making the score 3-2 with LSU runners at first and second.
Senior catcher Maci Bergeron then popped out to end the game, prompting senior second baseman Tallen Edwards to wave goodbye towards the Tiger dugout.
Lessentine earned her first save of the season as Peters pushed her win total to seven.
“The mindset never changes,” Ford said. “For us, it’s continue to get better each and every game. Today feels great, and we’ll enjoy it tonight, but tomorrow starts a new day, and it’s important for us to keep practicing that. To reset and come out and compete our tails off.”
The Aggies will close out the three-game series against LSU on Monday, March 16, at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
