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Texas A&M Tops LSU in Game One, Perez Powers Aggies Past Tigers

by:Tara Henry•04/11/25
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Photo courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics

In a top-10 matchup featuring two of the nation’s best pitchers, All-Americans Emiley Kennedy of No. 3 Texas A&M and Sydney Berzon of No. 4 LSU went head-to-head in the circle, setting the stage for a surprising back-and-forth battle. The Aggies took the Friday night contest 12-7, scoring the most runs allowed by LSU in an SEC game in three years.

Kennedy started strong, efficiently retiring the side in the first inning with just 11 pitches, including a rise-ball strikeout of Jalia Lassiter on a pitch out of the zone.

The Aggies struck first in the bottom of the inning. Amari Harper was hit by a pitch, and Mya Perez followed with a single to right field, putting runners on first and second. Mac Barbara then launched an 0-1 drop ball deep to right field, clearing the bases for a 3-0 lead. The ball left the bat at 80 mph, according to TrackMan data.

LSU responded in the top of the third. Tori Edwards led off with a double off the top of the right-field wall. Consecutive singles by McKenzie Redoutey, Savanna Bedell, and Maddox McKee narrowed the deficit to 3-2.

Jadyn Laneaux tied the game with a double down the right-field line. Avery Hodge kept the momentum going with a bloop single to right, giving LSU a 4-3 lead. After six straight hits, Kennedy recorded the first out of the inning with a strikeout on a low-and-away pitch. Lassiter added another run with a sacrifice fly to left field, capping a five-run inning for the Tigers.

Texas A&M answered in the bottom half. Gracyn Coleman drew a leadoff walk and advanced on a sacrifice fly to left-center by Harper. Perez then doubled off the right-field wall, tying the game at 5-5.

After a scoreless third inning, the Aggies surged ahead in the fourth. Perez doubled to left-center, and Scout Lovell entered as a pinch-runner. Back-to-back walks to Barbara and Koko Wooley loaded the bases. Allie Enright capitalized on a dropped foul ball earlier in the at-bat, singling to center to give A&M a 7-5 lead. KK Dement reached on an error at first base, bringing in another run. Olivia Johnson executed a squeeze bunt, forcing Berzon to throw to first for the second out, allowing Enright to score and extending the lead to 9-5.

Ashley Vallejo entered the game in the bottom of the fifth for LSU, relieving Berzon. Powell was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, followed by a walk to Harper. A red-hot Perez smoked her third double of the game, scoring Powell and extending the lead to 10-5. Barbara singled to left to tack on another run. LSU avoided a potential run-rule finish with an inning-ending double play, trailing 11-5 heading into the sixth.

The Aggies kept the pressure on in the sixth. After Laneaux made a highlight-reel double play in left field, a two-out rally saw back-to-back doubles from Powell and Harper, stretching the lead to 12-5.

In the seventh, LSU tried to mount a comeback. Maci Bergeron reached on an error and was replaced by pinch runner Sa’Mya Jones. Edwards doubled to center to put two in scoring position, and Redoutey followed with a sac fly to right to score Jones. McKee drew a one-out walk to load the bases, and Laneaux walked to force in another run, cutting the lead to 12-7. But Kennedy shut the door on LSU’s rally, getting a lineout and flyout to left to seal the complete-game victory and give Texas A&M the win in game one of the series.

The two teams will meet again at 3 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

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