COLLEGE STATION — No. 23 Texas A&M scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 5-2 win over visiting UTSA on Tuesday night at the Aggie Softball Complex.
Rachel Fox allowed just two runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts to lead the Aggies (30-10), who picked up their sixth win in the last seven games, while Kristen Cuyos went 1-for-2 with a two-RBI double to help pace the offense.
Meanwhile, Taylor Oberg went 1-for-2 to extend her hitting streak to 11 games for the Roadrunners (26-12), who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end. Vivian Tijerina went 1-for-3 with her eighth homer of the season to provide the only runs for UTSA, while reliever Kacy Freeze allowed one run and struck out three in 5.1 innings.
The Aggies turned back-to-back walks to start the bottom of the first into runs as part of its four-run inning. Cali Lanphear knocked an RBI single to right field before Cuyos blooped a double to left field that plated a pair. Reagan Boenker capped the inning with another bloop hit, this time to right field, which extended the lead to 4-0.
That proved to be enough for Fox, who escaped a jam in the third to keep the contest scoreless.
Oberg opened the frame with the Roadrunners’ first hit of the contest and she moved to second on a groundout. Kendall Burton lined a single to center field and advanced to second when the throw went home to put two runners in scoring position with just one out.
However, Fox got a pop up and strikeout to end the threat.
Texas A&M pushed its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the frame when Celena Massey lined a two-out double down the third-base line that scored Cuyos, who reached on a walk.
Vivian Tijerina broke up the shutout in the sixth when she launched her eighth homer of the season to trim the deficit to 5-2. Courtney Buchman coaxed a one-out walk from Fox before Tijerina took the first pitch of the at-bat over the wall.
The Roadrunners had one last chance in the seventh, but Fox retired the side in order to close out the victory and improve to 17-7 in the circle.
Nicole Merrill (7-6) took the loss for the Roadrunners after she allowed four runs on three hits and a pair of walks in two-thirds of an inning.
UTSA will be back in action at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, when it will return to Conference USA play with a doubleheader at North Texas (14-21, 6-8 C-USA).