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No. 11 Texas A&M Opens Davis Diamond Against No. 12 Auburn

No. 11 Texas A&M Opens Davis Diamond Against No. 12 Auburn
Posted at 8:03 PM, Apr 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-26 21:03:08-04

No. 11 Texas A&M softball opens its state-of-the-art stadium, Davis Diamond, with a three-game series beginning Friday against No. 12 Auburn.

Friday’s opener is set for 6:30 p.m. with Saturday and Sunday’s contests slated for 1 p.m. The Aggies will honor their six seniors following the conclusion of the series finale.

While Friday’s game is sold out, tickets for Saturday and Sunday may be purchased in person at the Kyle Field box office, online at www.12thMan.com/tickets or by phone at 888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311. Tickets are also available at the Davis Diamond ticket office located off Penberthy Boulevard with gates opening one hour prior to first pitch.

Fans are encouraged to park in the Reed Arena parking lots free of charge.

Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Cheri Kempf (color) call the action for Saturday’s contest on the SEC Network. Chelsea Reber, Matt Simon and Gay McNutt are on the call for Friday and Sunday’s games on SEC Network +. Authenticated subscribers can access the streams through WatchESPN and the ESPN app on their computers, mobile phones, tablets, smart TVs and other connected devices.

Louie Belina and Chris Southard bring the action to listeners on Willy 1550 AM in the Bryan-College Station area and online at www.12thMan.com/showcase.

Texas A&M is 37-12 (10-8 SEC) on the season and coming off a series loss against then-No. 15 LSU.  The Aggies rebounded after losing the first two games of the series with a 6-0 victory in the finale.

Tori Vidales led the offense with four hits on the weekend, while Sarah Hudek and Riley Sartain each added a home run. Lexi Smith and Payton McBride combined to shutout the Tigers. Smith dazzled, throwing 6.0 innings, giving up just three hits while striking out five.

Hudek tops the Aggies with a .348 average on the year followed by Ashley Walters, who is batting .333 and Vidales at .331. Sartain leads the team with 10 home runs, while Vidales has belted eight home runs and paces the team with 45 RBI.

In the circle, Trinity Harrington is 12-2 with a 1.56 ERA. Smith holds an 8-2 mark and a 1.27 ERA. Samantha Show is 10-4, while Maddie MacGrandle has added five wins.

Auburn enters the weekend with a 38-11 (11-9 SEC) ledger. The Tigers are led by Victoria Draper, who is hitting .391 with 37 stolen bases, and Courtney Shea, who has five home runs, nine doubles and 30 RBI. In the circle, Kaylee Carlson is 19-4 with a 0.92 ERA and Makayla Martin, who dons a 14-4 record and a 1.25 ERA.