COLLEGE STATION — No. 22 Texas A&M scored three runs in the first, highlighted by a Rhiannon Kleising two-run homer, and Lindsey Sisk tossed a four-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory against UTSA on Wednesday night.
After retiring the Roadrunners (5-13) in order in the first, the Aggies (15-6) wasted no time in putting up a three-spot in the bottom half of the inning off starter Haylee Staton.
Natalie Villarreal led off the frame with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt before Kleising’s eighth homer of the season made it 2-0. Megan Ray quickly stretched the lead to three with her fifth long ball of the season.
That was more than enough for Sisk (7-2), who struck out four and did not allow a hit until senior Carrie Monroe singled up the middle with two down in the third.
Freshman Molly Fichtner led off the fourth with a double to extend her hitting streak to 13 games and that provided UTSA with its best scoring opportunity, as Fichtner moved to third on a ground out before Sisk struck out freshman Jori Fox to end the inning. She later added a two-out single in the sixth for her fifth multi-hit game of the season.
The Aggies tacked on an insurance run in the fifth with two singles and a run-scoring double down the right-field line by Amber Garza.
Staton (2-5) allowed three runs on five hits and three runs in her three frames of work.
UTSA returns to the diamond this weekend with a three-game series at Stephen F. Austin (15-8, 1-5 SLC). The set begins with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, followed by Sunday's noon finale.
