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A&M softball wins two more

By LARRY BOWEN
Eagle Sports Writer

When a team is undefeated and shooting up the national rankings, winning two games in a day doesn't always please coaches, but the Texas A&M softball team made coach Jo Evans happy Saturday.

The third-ranked Aggies eased past Rutgers, 7-4, and thumped Arkansas, 11-0, on the second day of the Aggie Classic. A&M (9-0) clinched the tournament championship and earned praise from Evans, who wasn't completely satisfied with two wins on Friday.

A&M banged out 24 hits in 11 innings Saturday and never trailed on a cool, windy afternoon at the Aggie Softball Complex. Although the combined scores from Saturday's wins were similar A&M's scores on the previous day, Evans felt much better about how her team played.

"We were pressing a little bit on opening day," Evans said. "I kind of felt like we won ugly. I really liked the way we came out [Saturday] and played with great poise and confidence. We weren't flawless, but we really drove the ball and scored a bunch of runs."

Jamie Hinshaw went 4 for 4 against Rutgers and delivered an RBI single during an eight-run second inning against Arkansas.

"Coach [Mary Jo] Firnbach wanted me to clear my head at the plate, so she asked me to tell her something I like," Hinshaw said. "I told her I like chocolate, so she said to think of chocolate at the plate. It was just the idea of clearing my mind and trusting the work we've done before."

Hinshaw is a junior in her third year as a starter, but Hinshaw said she felt like a freshman making her home debut on Friday. A&M's five freshmen turned the tables Saturday, playing like veterans.

Freshman Emily Shadow pitched a complete game against Rutgers in her debut, escaping a sixth-inning jam when freshman shortstop Holly Ridley made a nice play with two runners in scoring position. Freshman Mandy Gegen had a pinch-hit double.

Against Arkansas, freshman Macie Morrow smacked a three-run double, freshman Alex Reynolds went 2 for 2, and A&M Consolidated freshman Bailey Schroeder notched the first hit of her college career.

"It was a great day for our freshmen," Evans said. "Every play they make, every opportunity they get, is building upon our future as a program. Today, I think our future looks bright."

Collecting eight consecutive hits and starting a game 7 for 7 with runners in scoring position, as the Aggies did against Arkansas (3-6), can put a gleam in a coach's eyes.

A&M hit .185 (12 of 65) with runners in scoring position last weekend. The Aggies were much better Saturday against Arkansas starter Miranda Dixon, who on Friday held A&M to three hits and did not allow an earned run in a 4-1 loss.

Things got interesting late against Rutgers (0-4), as Evans let Shadow pitch out of a seventh-inning jam.

Ridley's back-handed stop and strong throw to end the sixth preserved a 4-1 lead, and in the seventh sophomore Ronda Smith lined a three-run homer that drilled a hole in the north wind. That gave the Aggies room to withstand a three-run rally by the Scarlet Knights.

Megan Gibson (4-0) earned the win in the second game, allowing two hits and striking out five in four scoreless innings.

After Lisa Gorzycki retired the Lady Razorbacks in order, the game was stopped in the middle of the fifth because of the run rule.