The No. 10 Texas A&M softball team split Saturday’s doubleheader against No. 22 Mississippi State, winning game one, 3-1, before falling in extra innings, 4-3, at Nusz Park.
Trinity Harrington recorded her 11th win of the season as the senior allowed just six hits and one run in 6.2 innings with a strikeout in game one. Payton McBride came in with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but got a fly out to center to earn her fourth save of the season.
The Aggies (33-9, 6-5 SEC) got on the board in the first as Ashley Walters drove in Keeli Milligan with a single to right. In the fourth, Texas A&M doubled its lead as Walters reached third on a fielding error and Blake-Ann Fritsch, who pinch ran for Walters, scored on a RBI fielder’s choice by Kristen Cuyos.
Mississippi State (29-10, 4-7 SEC) responded with a run in the bottom of the fourth as Calyn Adams scored on a RBI groundout from Reggie Harrison.
The Maroon & White got the run back in the fifth when Erica Russell led off the frame with a four-pitch walk and scored on a Sarah Hudek RBI double.
In game two, Mississippi State rushed out to a 3-0 lead in the third, scoring three unearned runs on a sacrifice fly, bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit by pitch.
Texas A&M cut into the lead in the fourth, scoring two runs. Milligan singled home Samantha Show, before Kaitlyn Alderink scored on a bases-loaded walk by Hudek. The Aggies tied the game in the fifth as Kylie George touched home on a RBI double from Kristen Cuyos.
The two teams were deadlocked heading into the 10th, where the Bulldogs took advantage of three walks to score the game-winning run on a bases-loaded walk.
Kayla Poynter suffered the loss despite giving up just three hits in seven innings of relief. The freshman struck out five, but walked four and hit two batters. Samantha Show earned the start for Texas A&M and threw 2.2 innings, giving up two hits, three unearned runs and three walks.
