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Updated 7:31 AM on Thursday, April 19, 2007

Aggie softball team sweeps Cowgirls

Pitchers Gibson, Scarborough dominate

By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

It's hard to tell who Texas A&M's best pitcher is. Lately, it's been whoever is in the circle at the time.

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Buy this photo Eagle Photo/Butch Ireland Texas A&M third baseman Jamie Hinshaw tags out Oklahoma State's Kim Kaye to end the top of the fourth in the Aggies' 2-1 victory in Game 1 of A&M's doubleheader sweep Wednesday.

Megan Gibson and Amanda Scarborough pitched the fifth-ranked Aggies to a Big 12 Conference doubleheader sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on Wednesday at the Aggie Softball Complex.

Scarborough capped the night with a one-hitter, retiring 21 of the last 22 batters in a 4-0 victory. Gibson allowed six hits in the opener as the Aggies eked out a 2-1 victory before 907.

The junior right-handers have keyed a seven-game winning streak, moving the Aggies (36-6, 9-3 Big 12) into title contention.

Oklahoma (45-5, 10-3) swept league-leading Baylor (39-11, 9-2), knocking the Lady Bears into second place behind Missouri (32-18, 8-1).

A&M will take the league's best 1-2 pitching punch to Missouri this weekend for a crucial series.

The run OSU (24-26, 2-9) scored was the only one the Aggies have allowed during their current winning streak.

Gibson's string of 22 scoreless innings ended on Emily Blackburn's two-out single in the fourth inning. That scored Courtney Totte who had fisted a single to center and advanced on another fisted single by Kim Kaye.

That halted a 37-inning combined scoreless streak by Aggie pitchers.

Gibson (15-2) finished with a flourish, retiring nine straight, four via strikeouts.

"I thought she looked really good," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. 'Early on, she got the ball up a little bit and was giving away her change-up. She made a little adjustment with that and started getting it down. I thought she got better and better as the game went on."

Gibson's best pitch came in the fifth inning against leadoff hitter Shanel Scott with the score tied. OSU's Janna Harmison was on third after a double and sacrifice.

Slap-hitting Scott worked the count full, then fouled off a pitch as Gibson was working the outside corner. Gibson came inside hard, freezing Scott for the strikeout. The next batter popped up.

"I was just trying to get ahead of the batters and throw outs," Gibson said.

She worked the inside corner successfully, getting five popups.

Scarborough (18-4) had her second straight dominating performance, pushing her scoreless streak to 23 innings.

Scott opened the game with a wicked line drive off the glove of third baseman Jamie Hinshaw, who was playing way in. Scarborough retired the next 15 batters before Jenna Harmison reached on an error by shortstop Macie Morrow. Scarborough retired the next six to complete her second straight one-hitter. She had a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings at Kansas on Sunday.

OSU didn't hit a ball to the outfield with 13 groundball outs, six strikeouts and two popups.

Scarborough threw only 78 pitches, 52 of them for strikes. Gibson even had a better ratio - 84 pitches, 59 strikes. She struck out seven, and neither pitcher walked a batter. In fact, Gibson and Scarborough have combined for 24 2/3 innings without allowing a walk.

Scarborough said she's been pitching well for the last several starts, and whether you pitch a one-hitter or allow six hits like Gibson, often it's about luck.

"Things kinda fell in place today," she said.

OSU's Game 1 starter, Jessica Hoppock (12-13), pitched well but was stung by timely hits.

Gibson broke up Hoppock's no-hitter, singling sharply to center with one out in the fourth.

She aggressively moved to second when center fielder Scott didn't field the ball cleanly.

Scarborough drove in Gibson with a double to right-center field.

A&M designated player Alex Reynolds hit a booming home run over the center-field fence in the fifth on the first pitch of her at-bat. She had flown out deep to center in the third.

"[Hoppock] had been throwing the first pitch for a strike everytime," Reynolds said. "She just kinda fooled me with a rise. And her second [pitch], I got under it, but I still felt like I was on the ball.

"For the next at-bat, I was waiting for her to make a mistake, and she did, so I went with it."

Reynolds, a freshman, was named Big 12 hitter of the week last week. She was 4 for 6 Sunday with four runs batted in and a homer.

She said her new mindset at the plate is to be aggressive and just hit the ball hard.

A&M was limited to 10 hits in the doubleheader facing first-year OSU head coach Rich Wieligman, who had been A&M's hitting coach.

Scarborough looked like her old self to Wieligman, going 3 for 5 with three runs batted in.

Scarborough helped herself to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game.

She doubled to the opposite field with two outs, knocking in Gibson, who had walked. Hinshaw singled sharply to right, moving Scarborough to third.

Hinshaw stole second, and Scarborough trotted home when the throw by catcher Totte was errant.

Scarborough added a booming solo home run in the third off freshman right-hander Anna Whiddon (10-9). The towering shot cleared the trees behind the fence in left-center field.

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NOTES - The A&M golf team, which won the Big 12 championship earlier in the day in Waco, was introduced during the second game. ... Former A&M Consolidated standout Courtney Oberg staked Baylor to a 3-0 lead over Oklahoma, but the Sooners rallied for a 7-4 victory and a doubleheader sweep. OU grabbed a 3-2 eight-inning victory in the opener as former Brenham all-stater Lauren Eckermann (28-2) was the winning pitcher.

Samantha Ricketts' two-out RBI single snapped BU's 13-game winning streak. ... Jen Buck and Jana Hainey pitched Missouri to a sweep of KU, 1-0 and 3-0. Buck, 15-5, pitched a three-hitter in the opener, while Hainey, 5-5, scattered six singles, walking one and striking out six.