The No. 7 Texas A&M Softball team suffered a 5-1 loss to Missouri Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Missouri (18-12, 1-3 SEC) jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first two innings. The Tigers scored three runs in the opening frame on three singles and a double. Missouri added to the lead in the second on an RBI groundout by Natalie Fleming.
The Aggies (27-3, 6-2 SEC) responded in the bottom of the second with a run as Kristen Cuyos led off the inning with a double to center and was plated by another double from Samantha Show. The East Bernard, Texas, native is now tied for the team lead in doubles with eight.
Missouri extended their lead in the sixth with a homerun from Rylee Pierce.
Show was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs on six hits and fanning two in two innings of work. Lexi Smith threw five innings in relief, striking out two and only allowing two hits and one walk.
The series finale is slated for a 12 p.m. start Sunday and can be seen on ESPNU. The game can also be accessed through WatchESPN and the ESPN app and can be heard locally on Willy 1550 AM.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Jo Evans
On today’s game…
“We just couldn’t recover after that first inning. They went out there and hit our mistakes. We put the ball on the plate and they hit it hard. We had some opportunities and set the table a few times. In the sixth inning, we had the people up that we wanted. We were at the top of the order. Tori [Vidales] sets the table. It was exactly what we want, but we did not have quality at bats. Yesterday, I can’t remember an at bat that wasn’t a quality at bat. Today we threw some at bats away and it really hurt us. I thought that we were a little anxious and out in front. We weren’t letting the game come to us or understanding what pitch we wanted to hit and sit on that pitch. We were getting ahead of ourselves and we have to be more disciplined.”
On today’s pitching…
“If you leave the ball in play, they are going to hit it hard. Missouri gets their at bats and they don’t get cheated one bit. We came in yesterday and did a good job of keeping the ball off the plate and they stayed aggressive. When they are aggressive and we throw the ball on the plate, that’s a recipe for disaster. It’s important for Samantha [Show] to buckle down, hit her spots and trust that she can get outs. I thought Lexi [Smith] came in and did a nice job. I liked what I saw out of her and I thought she was really efficient. She’s not afraid to go right at them and I was pleased to see how she threw the ball today.”
On game three tomorrow…
“We will go take a look at film and see how we match up and who we think is ready to go. We will throw everything but the kitchen sink at them tomorrow. We will use our whole staff because our whole staff has been really effective almost the entire season, so we will be ready to go and make a few adjustments. On offense, I want to see us have more quality at bats. We will make some decisions tomorrow morning so that we feel really comfortable with our plan.”
