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Aggies get two wins at Classic

By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

The Texas A&M softball team climbed to No. 3 in the country with a pair of walk-off home runs last week, but a mere bunt single jump-started the Aggies 4-1 victory over the Arkansas Lady Razorbacks on Friday at the Aggie Softball Complex.

A&M (7-0) ended Day 1 of the Aggie Classic with a 9-1 victory over Rutgers, winning the game after five innings via the run rule. Jamie Hinshaw ended it with a three-run double.

It was Hinshaw's three-run walk-off homer that gave A&M a 4-3 victory over then-No. 4 Northwestern in the season opener at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. And A&M ended last weekend with a 3-2 victory over top-ranked Arizona on Megan Gibson's walk-off two-run shot.

Friday's crowd of 1,506 didn't see any dramatic homers by the Aggies, but they had plenty to cheer about.

A&M won its home opener without an earned run, scoring twice in the first inning and twice more in the seventh inning, both times taking advantage of errors by Arkansas, which has only one senior.

"I thought our speed put them on their heels a little bit," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "And we took advantage of that."

With the Aggies as the designated visitors, Sharonda McDonald bunted on the game's first pitch. She scored when Arkansas freshman pitcher Miranda Dixon threw away Jami Lobpries' sacrifice bunt. Lobpries scored on Hinshaw's RBI grounder, which Arkansas second baseman Kayla Johnson couldn't field.

Dixon settled down after her throwing error to pitch a masterful game. She struck out 10, allowing only three hits and retiring 11 straight at one point.

"I just think [Dixon] was slower, and we were getting out in front of her," said clean-up hitter Amanda Scarborough. "We were anxious. We wanted to get the pitch and drive the ball and be the one to get the hit in front of the crowd. I just think any other day, we'd have come out and swung the bats a little better."

Dixon's teammates couldn't pick her up as A&M junior right-hander Scarborough was equally effective. And she had a much better defense.

Scarborough allowed only one hit, a booming home run by Samantha Buckner in the fifth inning.

"She knew what she wanted to pitch," Evans said. "She wanted to pitch [Buckner] a change-up, and she ended up hitting it out, and that's not a big deal."

But after cutting A&M's lead to 2-1, Arkansas' defense failed Dixon again in the top of the seventh.

Holly Ridley reached on an error. Pinch-runner Macie Morrow stole second and reached third on a wild pitch as Dixon struck out the next two batters. McDonald reached on Johnson's second error, but freshman Morrow surprisingly stayed at third.

Arkansas (2-5) lifted Dixon in favor of Katy Henry, who struck out 15 in an 8-0 victory over Texas-San Antonio earlier in the day.

On Henry's first pitch, the Aggies pulled off a double steal when Arkansas catcher Whitney Cloer threw to second. McDonald continued to third on the play and later scored on an illegal pitch.

Scarborough (4-0) struck out a career-high 12 with two walks.

Evans said Scarborough was in total control, which was crucial because A&M's hitters were pressing in the home opener.

"We came out a bit tight," Evans said. "You could see it. We had played really loose and relaxed last weekend. Today we were tight at bat and had a hard time shaking it. And I thought their pitcher did a good job. She threw strikes when she had to, and we chased a lot of bad pitches."

A&M had a much easier time against Rutgers.

The Aggies took a 2-0 first-inning lead on Scarborough's two-run double. A two-run single by Hinshaw in the fourth made it 5-0.

Rutgers' run came on Amanda Shaw's two-out double in the fifth. A&M left fielder Lobpries made a nice diving stop to keep Rutgers runners at second and third. Junior right-hander Gibson (3-0) got Kristin Madoch to ground out to freshman shortstop Morrow, who made a nice play to end the inning.

A&M ended the game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth.

It was a tough day for Rutgers, which was opening its season. The Scarlet Knights had trouble leaving New Jersey on Thursday because of weather and didn't get to their hotel until 3 a.m. They had a 7 a.m. wake-up call Friday, and Texas-San Antonio pitcher Amanda Nikolenko no-hit Rutgers, 10-0, in a five-inning game.

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NOTES - Beverly Rowan had to catch both games for A&M, because Patti Wunderlich (flu) wasn't available. ... This is A&M's best start since going 11-0 to start the 1991 season.