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The Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners caught a break at the Aggie Classic. They had to play Texas A&M only once. The third-ranked Aggies won five straight at the three-day tournament, capping the weekend with a 7-1 victory over UTSA on Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex before 826 on a near-perfect weather day. A&M, 10-0, already had clinched the championship before Sunday with two victories each over Rutgers and Arkansas. The Aggies didn't let up against UTSA, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. That was more than enough for junior right-hander Amanda Scarborough (5-0), who pitched a five-hitter, striking out seven, walking one, and hitting a batter. Scarborough needed to make only 95 pitches because of an air-tight defense, as A&M had its second straight errorless game. "When I walked off the field, that was the thing I mentioned to our staff," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "It was nice to see us play errorless ball. And that's what we're gonna have to do to be a really good team." Scarborough induced 12 ground-ball outs. "She really wanted to keep the ball down, because UTSA is known for hitting the ball out of the park," Evans said. "She did a nice job throwing her drop ball, and mixing it up. She just took care of business." Slick-fielding freshman shortstop Macie Morrow had five assists and two putouts, making a trio of hard plays look routine. "I think our defense really looks solid," Morrow said. "We practice how we play, and we've been really good at practice. And [we've] carried it through to the game." Morrow, who has made six starts, is perfect in the field with 13 assists and 11 putouts. And her bat is starting to come around. The left-handed batter knocked in two runs with a line-drive single in the second. She had two hits and three RBIs against Arkansas on Saturday. She's batting .333 for the year, which is fourth best on the team, and her seven RBIs are third best on the team. "In the fall I started to slap hit a lot more," Morrow said. "And now I'm starting to hit more, and I'm feeling more comfortable." She said Scarborough makes fielding easier, because she doesn't give up many hits, and the ones she does allow aren't typically hit hard. Shortstop was a defensive liability for the Aggies last season, as freshman Holly Ridley made 21 errors. The Aggies had a .949 fielding average with 79 errors, which were the worst marks by an Aggie team since 1998. But this year, shortstop has been the team's best defensive position. AGGIE SOFTBALL
TEXAS A&M 7, UTSA 1 RECORDS: No. 3 Texas A&M (10-0), Texas-San Antonio (3-7) WP: Amanda Scarborough LP: Amanda Nikolenko NEXT: Stephen F. Austin at Texas A&M, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday Ridley also is fielding 1.000 with 12 assists and two putouts. UTSA made only one error, but it helped A&M to a 2-0 lead. Roadrunner center fielder Rudi Cantu dropped Jamie Hinshaw's fly ball in the first inning, then Scarborough followed with a two-run single. A&M scored at least two runs in the first inning of all five games this weekend. "I thought this weekend we got real timely hitting," Evans said. "I also thought we did as good job getting our speed on base, putting pressure on their defense." Leadoff hitter Sharonda McDonald was 10-of-18 batting in the tournament with nine runs scored and four stolen bases. "Sho was fantastic this weekend," Evans said. "She makes us go." The Aggies showed power in the sixth. Jami Lobpries hit a two-run homer and Ronda Smith followed with solo shot off junior right-hander Amanda Nikolenko (2-6). UTSA's run was unearned because of a passed ball.
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NOTES - This is A&M's best start since going 11-0 in 1991. ... A&M has eight passed balls. It had only 12 last season. ... A&M has scored 23 unearned runs, which is two more runs that it has allowed. ... McDonald, a senior, extended her hitting streak to seven games, and also has stolen a base in seven straight games for the first time in her career. ... A&M will play host to Stephen F. Austin in a Wednesday doubleheader that was moved to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ... Ridley, who like Morrow played at Sugar Land Clements, is hitless in 14 at-bats. ... Arkansas beat Rutgers in Sunday's other game, 8-6, to finish the weekend 3-2. UTSA was 2-3 and Rutgers 0-5.
Big 12 softball roundup
No. 10 Texas, which fell to San Diego State on Saturday, bounced back for a 5-0 victory over San Diego State on Sunday to win the Texas Classic.
Former A&M Consolidated all-stater Kacie Gaskin paced Texas (8-2) with three hits, including a two-run homer. Gaskin, playing right fielder, threw out two runners at third base.
No. 12 Oklahoma (10-0) won the OU/Nike Classic with five straight victories over the weekend.
Junior right-hander Lauren Eckermann (6-0) of Brenham allowed five hits in a 15-0 victory over Northwestern (La.) State on Sunday.
No. 16 Baylor (10-2) beat Ole Miss, 8-2, at the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational, but host Louisiana-Lafayette beat Baylor in the title game, 8-3.
Baylor freshman Courtney Oberg, an A&M Consolidated graduate, hit a two-run homer against Ole Miss, her first collegiate home run.
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