By Carson Vercoe | Sports Intern
A six-run first inning by No. 11 Texas A&M proved to be the difference-maker Wednesday night in a 10-3 Aggie win in front of a packed gold-out Getterman Stadium.
The Bears (24-19, 7-8 Big 12) dropped their third straight game and continued their downward slide heading toward the end of Big 12 play and the regular season.
The Aggies (31-12, 11-4 SEC) came into Getterman Stadium ready to play from the first pitch, as two singles and a walk left the bases loaded with no outs. Texas A&M was able to grab a pair of runs off two Baylor mistakes as a passed ball and an error allowed the Aggies to score two.
But this was just the beginning of a long first inning for the Bears.
Catcher Ariel Kowalewski smacked a double into the left-center gap, scoring one and getting another to third base. A sacrifice fly from center fielder Kelsey Mathis gave the Aggies another run before shortstop KK Dement launched a ball deep into left field for a home run, giving the Aggies a six-run frame.
“I’m not disappointed with the way we played with the exception of that six spot,” head coach Glenn Moore said. “You can’t have six up against you and expect a win.”
Freshman third baseman Kaygen Marshall was not going down easy though. She crushed a two-run home run over the left-field wall and into the bushes in the bottom of the first, sending the gold-tinted Baylor crowd into a frenzy.
Marshall came up big again in the bottom of third. She smacked a towering fly ball to deep center field for a sac fly, picking up her third RBI of the day and cutting the lead in half to 6-3.
“I’ve surprised myself coming in and just being more comfortable than I thought I was going to be.” Marshall said.
After being shut out for the three straight innings, the Aggies couldn’t be held for much longer. Pinch hitter Madison Sauni entered the box for her first at-bat of the night and crushed a pitch to deep center field, smacking it off the scoreboard for a home run. Sauni’s home run expanded the Aggie lead to 7-3.
Sophomore pitcher Peyton Tanner dominated in relief. After coming in during the first inning for sophomore pitcher Cambree Creager, who didn’t record an out and gave up five runs, Tanner gave the Bears six innings in relief. She struck out six batters while only giving up two earned runs before she was replaced in the bottom of the sixth.
“I though she disrupted their timing,” Moore said. “When you see a powerful offense like that, that’s the way you beat them.”
But even with solid pitching for much of the night, the Bears offense struggled with runners in scoring position.
After Marshall’s sac fly, the Bears’ bats couldn’t get it done in the later innings. Despite having runner on in the fourth, fifth and sixth, no runs were scored, keeping the score at 7-3.
The Aggies continued to tack on to their lead with an RBI single from Dement and a sacrifice fly from Sauni scoring two. A ground out from pinch hitter Larisa Perez gave the Aggies one more, pushing their lead to 10-3.
There was no comeback magic in the bottom of seventh as the Bears were retired in order, giving the Aggies a 10-3 win and their crowd something to celebrate.
The Bears will look to bounce back in a weekend series with Utah (27-15-1, 5-9-1 Big 12) at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Getterman Stadium. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
“This series is a do or die for us,” Moore said. “We have got nine more games left in conference and we have got to first of all win three more to finish above .500.”
