Texas A&M Walks Off Series Opener with Kentucky on Friday
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies scored five unanswered runs thanks to a pair of Kentucky errors Friday night to come back from a 4-0 deficit to knock off the Wildcats 5-4 on the series opener.
Kentucky scored four runs in the first two innings of the game as Grace Lorsung pounded a three-run home run over the wall in center field in the top of the first inning and Lauryn Borzilleri crushed second home run of the year in the top of the second inning as Kentucky raced out to a 4-0 lead though two innings.
The Wildcats got a quality start from pitcher Stephanie Schoonover, who went the distance Friday night and allowed only three earned runs on four hits, but couldn’t overcome a pair of errors and a passed ball as Texas A&M walked it off in the seventh inning thanks to a runner who reached safely on a dropped third strike. Following the first two innings, Kentucky did not have a baserunner in the game as Emiley Kennedy retired the last 16 batters in a row to end the game and 18 of the last 19 sandwiched around Borzilleri’s home run in the second.
After Texas A&M struck for three runs in the bottom of the third inning on a pair of sacrifice flies and a Kentucky error, the Aggies tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning on an error with two outs on a groundout to the left side that allowed the run to score on the throw to first base.
Kentucky got to the seventh in a tied game at 4-4, and Schoonover forced a groundout to the circle to start the frame. After the second batter of the seventh reached on a dropped third strike, the runner stole second base and three-hole hitter Jazmine Hill hit an RBI single into left field to score Amari Harper from second to win the game in walk-off fashion for Texas A&M.
With Friday’s result, Kentucky falls to 23-13 on the year and is 2-8 in SEC play. Texas A&M picks up its 30th win of the season to improve to 30-7 on the season and is 9-4 in conference play. Game two of the series will be Saturday at 4 p.m. ET inside Davis Diamond with the game broadcasted live on SEC Network and the ESPN app as Alex Loeb and Kenzie Fowler will have the call from College Station.
Key Play
The key play for Kentucky came in the top of the first inning as Grace Lorsung hit a three-run home run into center field with Peyton Plotts and Rylea Smith aboard to make it 3-0 Kentucky to start the evening.
Key Player
Lorsung was the key player for Kentucky, going 1-for-3 with the run-producing three-run bomb.
Key Stat
- Texas A&M retired the last 16 Kentucky batters in order to end the game without a walk or hit by pitch.
Run Recap
After Rylea Smith led off the threat with a double and Peyton Plotts walked, Grace Lorsung hammered a three-run homer to center in the top of the first. UK 3, TAMU 0
Lauryn Borzilleri hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning to balloon the lead to three. UK 4, TAMU 0
In the bottom of the third, Two sac flies with the bases loaded and a Kentucky error on a would-by flyout cost UK three runs as the Aggies pulled to within one at 4-3. UK 4, TAMU 3
One inning later in the bottom of the fourth, Texas A&M tied the game on a Kentucky error with two outs. UK 4, TAMU 4
In the bottom of the seventh, the game-winning run reached base by a dropped third strike and that baserunner stole second on the second pitch of the next at bat. With a runner in scoring position, the Aggies got a walk-off single into left by Jazmine Hill to win the game. FINAL – Texas A&M 5, Kentucky 4
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