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Updated 7:25 AM on Monday, March 26, 2007

Texas A&M cruises to win

By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

Megan Gibson knows how to celebrate birthdays.

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Buy this photo Eagle Photo/Dave McDermand Texas A&M's Macie Morrow gets congratulations from head coach Jo Evans after Morrow hit a home run in the Aggies' 8-0 win over Iowa State on Sunday.

The junior right-hander pitched third-ranked Texas A&M to an 8-0 victory over the Iowa State Cyclones on Sunday, which was her 21st birthday.

A&M (28-3, 2-0 in Big 12) has won a home game on March 25 for three straight years, which Gibson said has made for nice birthdays.

She beat Kansas 2-1 last year, pitching a four-hitter. As a freshman, she had an RBI single in a 4-2 victory over Nebraska.

"I'm kind of getting used to [playing on my birthday]," Gibson said. "My freshman year, I thought it was kind of weird."

The only thing unusual about Sunday's game was the partisan crowd of 573 staying and singing happy birthday to her after the game.

Gibson's teammates made sure they reached the locker room early for birthday cupcakes, ending the Big 12 Conference game via the eight-run rule after six innings.

Six straight batters reached in A&M's four-run sixth capped by Jamie Hinshaw's two-run single.

That atoned for Hinshaw hitting into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fourth to keep it 4-0.

Bailey Schroeder, Joy Davis and Sharonda McDonald singled in the sixth after Beverly Rowan walked. McDonald's hit extended her hitting streak to 17 games, trying the school record held by Gina Perez, Jennifer McFalls and Kelly Ferguson.

A&M made good use of nine hits, but also pushed around three of its four hitters who walked. The Aggies jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning for the second straight day.

Macie Morrow hit a home run and Amanda Scarborough added an RBI double against Iowa State freshman right-hander Charissa Carlin (8-6).

A&M stranded a runner in scoring position in the second inning, but Mandy Gegen sharply grounded a two-out, two-run single to right in the fourth in to make for a 4-0 lead, foiling Iowa State's decision to walk Scarborough.

Freshman outfielder Gegen is hitting .381 in 21 at-bats with eight runs batted in.

"She really looks solid at the plate," A&M head coach Jo Evans said.

Gegen has made six starts because starting right outfielder Ronda Smith (shoulder) is lost for the season, and starting left fielder Jami Lobpries (back) has missed eight straight games.

A&M's freshmen combined for five hits and three RBIs as Morrow and right fielder Schroeder each had two hits. Schroeder busted out of a 1-for-19 hitting slump.

A&M's 4-0 lead seemed insurmountable, since Gibson has allowed more than three runs only once this season. But Iowa State (17-24, 0-2) loaded the bases in the third on two walks and a single as Gibson seemed upset she didn't get a couple strike calls.

Pinch-hitter Katherine Cross got ahead 2-0 in the count, but Gibson threw three straight strikes for one of her seven strikeouts, ending the threat.

Gibson credited catcher Patti Wunderlich for helping her refocus.

"She eased my frustration from the umpire," Gibson said. "There was nothing I could do about that, and I realized that. I just settled down and threw the pitches I knew I could to get an out."

Gibson retired the leadoff hitter in every inning, but needed several big pitches as Iowa State was 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

It was her fourth shutout of the season, one more than last season. She lowered her earned run average to 1.55, which is exactly a run better than a year ago, when she made a 0.99 improvement from her freshman season.

"She kept the batters off-balance with her change-up and mixing her speeds," Evans said. "She had a good presence on the mound today."

Other softball news

• Texas (25-7, 1-1) rallied for a 5-4 victory over Oklahoma (36-3, 3-1) in 10 innings in a Top 10 matchup. UT's Kacie Gaskin, a former A&M Consolidated standout, hit a three-run homer off losing pitcher Lauren Eckermann (21-1), an all-stater at Brenham.

• Baylor (30-9, 2-0) completed a sweep of Nebraska (20-11, 0-2) with a 3-0 victory. BU freshman Courtney Oberg, a former Consol standout, had a sacrifice fly.