Texas Tech Athletics
Texas A&M
Aggies Spoil Senior Day
May 02, 2010 | Softball
May 2, 2010
LUBBOCK, Texas - Emily Bledsoe rocketed a solo home run to dead center field to highlight an adequate offense, but pitching was sketchy as Tech dropped its final home and regular season game to No. 20 Texas A&M, 8-4. With the win the Aggies improve to 39-13, 10-6 with a weekend series with No. 11 Oklahoma State remaining, while the Red Raiders fall to 35-15, 7-11.
Senior right hander Ashly Jacobs got the start in the circle but was tagged early as Sydney Shannon hit a two-run home run in the first and then the Aggies kept the pressure on and finished the opening frame with five runs. The Aggies never looked back, despite signs of life from the Red Raiders offense. Karli Merlich came on to relieve Jacobs after she only recorded two thirds of an inning, but Texas A&M got to her after four and a third and she gave way to Ashley Brokeshoulder who settled down the Aggie offense over the final two frames.
Tech put up a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to get to 5-2, but it was as close as they would come as the Aggies tacked on three more in the top of the fifth before Bledsoe drilled a 1-0 pitch over the fence to make it 8-3. Logan Hall was 2-for-3 with a double and a run batted in, and Raven Richardson, Leah Legler, Stephanie Drewry and Holley Gentsch each singled for the home team.
The Red Raiders next will focus on finals week and will await the conclusion of other games in the Big 12 to determine their seed at the Big 12's final conference tournament, which begins May 14, in Oklahoma City. A seeding better than seventh means the team will play in the single elimination event on Saturday, instead of a Friday evening game. The conference tournament will not be held beginning in 2011 (unanimous vote by the coaches) so this event will be the swan song of the annual champion being crowned in tournament fashion.
