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A&M softball beats No. 1 Wildcats

Eagle Staff Report

TEMPE, Ariz. - Megan Gibson's walkoff two-run home run lifted Texas A&M to a 3-2 victory over top-ranked Arizona on Sunday at the Kajikawa Classic.

Arizona broke a 1-1 deadlock with a run in the top of the seventh, but the Aggies answered.

Winning pitcher Amanda Scarborough doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch.

Then Gibson blasted a two-strike pitch deep over the center-field fence.

"I just liked our competitiveness and our intensity today," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "I liked that we stayed calm. They got up twice on us and we didn't get rattled. We really made things happen."

No. 13 A&M ended the season-opening weekend 5-0. It was the second time the Aggies won with a walkoff homer.

Jamie Hinshaw's three-run homer gave the Aggies a 3-2 victory over No. 4 Northwestern in the season opener.

"We left last year 3-2 and didn't feel like we really played that well," Evans said. "This year we came really prepared. I think our kids played well and we got great defensive play again today. I thought [shortstop] Macie Morrow stood out and Amanda Scarborough did a nice job on the mound. I think we made plays when we needed to and Amanda made pitches when she needed to."

Freshman Morrow had a double, a putout and three assists.

Scarborough (3-0) pitched a five-hitter, striking out five and walking three.

Arizona's first run came in the third on a passed ball. A&M tied it in the fifth on Jamie Hinshaw single, scoring Jami Lobpries, who had doubled.

Arizona broke the tie in the seventh. Caitlin Lowe bunted for a single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on Kristie Fox's sacrifice fly.

A&M had 12 hits with Sharonda McDonald, Hinshaw and Lobpries each having two.

Two other Big 12 teams were unbeaten this weekend. Baylor went 6-0 at home, while Oklahoma was 5-0. Baylor won its own Getterman Classic, grabbing victories over Kentucky (9-0) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (3-1).

Oklahoma beat Illinois State, 4-2, to win the Diamond Fun and Sun Classic Tournament title in Miami, Fla.

The winning pitcher was Lauren Eckermann. She was the MVP of the tournament with a 4-0 record and 0.60 ERA. Eckermann, an all-stater from Brenham, transferred from Temple Junior College.

Texas, 4-1, also opened at the Kajikawa Classic. Utah beat UT on the final day, 5-4, in 10 innings.

Former A&M Consolidated standout Kacie Gaskin hit a three-run homer in a 7-6 victory over Stanford. She hit a solo homer against Utah. Former Bryan standout Crystal Saenz had three hits in a 10-3 victory over Long Beach State.