Sarah Hudek delivered the go-ahead three-run blast as the No. 7 Texas A&M Softball team took the series against the Missouri Tigers with a 7-3 victory Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
With the Aggies (28-3, 7-2 SEC) trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the third, Hudek stepped in with runners on the corners and two outs and hammered a drive that slipped just inside the left-field foul pole. The freshman’s fourth homer of the season gave the Aggies the lead on their way to capturing their third SEC series of the season.
In the early-going, Missouri (18-13, 1-4 SEC) recorded five hits in the opening frame but was only able to score one thanks to a 1-6-3 twin killing. Texas A&M matched the output in the bottom half on a two-out RBI double from Kristen Cuyos that scored Riley Sartain from first.
The Tigers took the lead back on a two-run second. With the score 2-1 and the bases loaded, no out, the Aggies made a call to the pen for Lexi Smith (9-0) to replace starter Trinity Harrington. Smith limited the Tigers to just one more run behind a sac fly.
In the bottom of the second, the Aggie bats also chased the starting pitcher, Cheyenne Baxter, in favor of Parker Conrad (1-1). Ashley Walters doubled to begin the inning and came around to score when Kelbi Fortenberry reached on an error pulling the Maroon and White within one.
After Hudek’s homer put the Aggies ahead in the third, Vidales added a long ball of her own in the fourth. The junior blasted a no-doubter, her fourth of the season that easily cleared the left-center wall putting the Aggies in front 6-3. The Aggies added another insurance run in the fifth on Vidales’ second RBI of the game.
Smith worked into seventh earning another win to add to her perfect record. The junior struck out three over five innings of work, not allowing a run putting her season ERA at 1.17. Payton McBride came in with two on, and no outs in the seventh, and finished the game, notching her second save of season. Aggie arms worked out of jams all day but were able to limit the damage on the base paths as just three of the 17 Mizzou baserunners came around to score.
On the day, the 6-through-8 hitters in the Aggie order went 6-for-9 with a walk and a hit by pitch. In the four hole, Cuyos reached in every plate appearance with a pair of walks, a double and a single. The offense put two runners on base in every single inning.
Next up, the Aggies face the Texas State Bobcats in a Wednesday meeting at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Jo Evans
On Sarah Hudek’s homerun…
“That was a huge home run that she hit. I was just praying that thing was going to stay fair. It had a little slice to it. I’m happy to see her step up in that situation and just how fired up she is to play the game. She’s always going to battle in her at bat. She may not always get a hit but she’s going to give you everything she’s got out there and our kids follow her lead. We tweaked the lineup a little bit and moved her down and I thought she really settled in and that was really important for us.”
On Payton McBride’s performance…
“I’m so proud of Payton because she doesn’t have the easiest role on our team. She doesn’t get to go out there and get a lot of reps and feel fresh and on top of it. I thought the most crucial thing was she went out there and threw strikes. She didn’t try to nip around the corners too much. She went out there and attacked the strike zone. You know in those situations every smart hitter is going to be taking the first pitch, looking for walks, looking to get hit and Payton just never gave them a chance. That’s center stage right there. This is a big deal. She’s on TV, and in a game where we have a chance to win the series and against a team that came back and got us last night. I love her composure. No one would know that kid is a freshman.”
