? Tulsa box score
? Texas A&M box score
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| Freshman Amber Anderson left the yard in her first collegiate at-bat. |
COLLEGE STATION ? Freshman Amber Anderson went a combined 6-for-8 with three RBIs for her collegiate debut, but UTSA dropped a pair of close games to Tulsa, 4-3 in eight innings, and No. 5 Texas A&M, 4-1, on day one of the Aggies Classic.
Anderson, the 2008 Class 5A State Tournament MVP at Alvin High School, launched a solo home run in her first collegiate at-bat and finished with a 3-for-4, two-RBI showing at the plate in a 4-3 loss to Tulsa in the season opener Friday morning. She followed that with another 3-for-4 effort with the only RBI in the 4-1 loss to the Aggies in the two-day tournament’s third game.
Anderson’s solo blast came in the top of the first off Tulsa starter Katie Lee to give the Roadrunners an early 1-0 lead. She stroked a one-out double to center field in the fifth and scored on an RBI-single by sophomore Dany? Holmes to push the lead to 2-0.
Anderson had another hand in the third run of the day for UTSA one inning later. Junior Kelly Cato punched a two-out single up the middle and freshman Ashley Kappler moved her to second with an infield single. Junior Rudi Cantu loaded the bases with another infield single and Anderson drew a walk to push across Cato.
The Golden Hurricane would rally in its final two at-bats to force extra innings. Kailey Yarmer drove in Lauren Lindsay and Christian Timmons with a double to the gap in right-center field in the bottom of the sixth to pull Tulsa to within one run. Jessica Stoelke drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single to center by Lindsay to knot the score at 3-3.
With the international tiebreaker rule in effect in the eighth, Tulsa took advantage of having its final out in the previous inning, Timmons, placed on second base to start the frame. A sacrifice bunt by Yarmer moved her to third and Jackie Lawrence lifted a sac fly to center to plate Timmons with the winning run.
Lawrence earned the win for Tulsa in relief, tossing two and a third innings of no-hit ball. Holmes, who had a pair of hits at the plate, struck out seven and allowed three earned runs in the tough-luck loss.
In the second game of the day for the Roadrunners, the host Aggies, last year’s NCAA runner-up, edged UTSA in a pitcher’s duel between sophomore Emily Humpal and Rebecca Arbino.
After four scoreless innings, Texas A&M, the visiting team in the game, broke through for a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. Natalie Villarreal and Rhiannon Kliesing started the frame with back-to-back singles and Holly Ridley advanced both with a sac bunt. Alex Reynolds then executed a squeeze play that plated Villarreal and Kliesing came home to score on an error to give the Aggies a 2-0 advantage.
Texas A&M tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh on a double by Kliesing and a sac fly by Ridley.
UTSA threatened in its final at-bat. Freshman Caitlyn Ivy doubled to left center to lead off the inning and moved to third on a one-out single by Cantu. Anderson followed with an RBI-single to right to plate Ivy but was thrown out trying to turn it into a double. Arbino got out of the jam with a ground ball to short and secured the win.
Arbino scattered seven hits and allowed just the one earned run in the victory, while Humpal, a transfer from Creighton, fanned six and allowed three earned runs in the loss.
The Roadrunners will face Tulsa at 10:30 a.m. and Texas A&M at 3:30 p.m. again on Saturday.