Texas A&M
Liberty
Tovar and Arbino Douse Flames
Mar 14, 2009 | Softball
March 14, 2009
BOCA RATON, Fla. - Texas A&M sophomore Andrea Tovar's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning proved the game-winner to lift the No. 18 Aggies to a 1-0 shutout of Liberty on Saturday afternoon at the FAU Parents' Weekend Classic.
Tovar stepped to the plate with two outs and junior Alex Reynolds on second base. The left-handed batter connected with the first pitch she was thrown. The ball landed in shallow left field and tailed off towards the foul line as Reynolds was waved home to beat the throw and slide safely to the plate for the winning run.
Freshman Rebecca Arbino earned her fourth shutout in her last four starts. From Clovis, Calif., Arbino allowed just four hits and one walk, while striking out two. The walk was the first she had given up in her last four starts.
Tovar, a native of Seguin, Texas, was starting in her second game in right field and the game-winning RBI was the first of her career.
The Aggies (21-9) got off to a slow start in the first three innings against Liberty (7-15), producing just one hit - a single to right center by sophomore Natalie Villarreal.
It was not until the bottom of the fourth that senior Holly Ridley drew a two-out walk and senior Erin Glasco followed with a hard-hit single to left field to put the first A&M runner in scoring position.
The Aggies loaded the bases in the sixth as Villarreal reached on an error, Ridley hit a bunt single and Glasco drew a walk, but the Lady Flames turned a double play to get out of the inning and keep the game scoreless.
A&M kept the pressure on Liberty in the seventh as Reynolds drew a lead-off walk and was sacrificed to second by sophomore Rhiannon Kliesing, before Tovar tallied her first hit of the day in high fashion.
Collecting hits for the Aggies were Villarreal, Ridley, Glasco, Kliesing and Tovar.
Stay logged on to AggieAthletics.com as A&M faces Purdue at 3 p.m.
