Saturday, February 14
Clearwater, Fla.
8:00 AM
Texas A&M
5-3
10
vs
2
NC State
3-5
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Texas A&M
0
0
0
1
0
7
2
10
13
0
NCSTATE
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
4
2
Photo by: Evan Pilat/Texas A&M Athletics
Texas A&M Rolls Past NC State Behind Sixth-Inning Rally
Feb 14, 2026 | Softball
CLEARWATER, Fla. – The No. 8 Texas A&M softball team defeated NC State 10-2 Saturday at the Eddie C. Moore Complex at the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational.
Texas A&M (5-3) scored seven runs in the sixth inning, including a three-run home run by Micaela Wark, to power past NC State (3-5). Kennedy Powell led the offense with three hits and two runs, while Tallen Edwards, Maddie Sauni and Wark each collected multiple hits.
Sydney Lessentine earned her second win of the season, striking out seven batters without yielding a free base while allowing two runs. Lessentine carried a perfect game through 5.1 innings before the Wolfpack recorded their first hit. After a 10-pitch at-bat to begin the game, Lessentine threw 74 pitches to the remaining 20 batters she faced, averaging just four pitches per batter.
After three hitless innings from each starting pitcher, Powell led off the top of the fourth with a ground ball up the middle. The speedster stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Mya Perez reached on a fielder's choice, and Powell slid under the catcher's tag to score the game's first run.
Powell ignited the sixth inning rally with a bunt single, and NC State's pitcher sailed the throw past first as Powell reached third base. Ariel Kowalewski followed with a double to score Powell, Perez added a single and Wark blasted a three-run home run. The Aggies kept the rally going as KK Dement drew a walk and Frankie Vrazel's single to right scored Dement. Powell followed with a single through the right side to bring in Vrazel, rounding out the scoring and putting Texas A&M ahead 8-0 in the sixth.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, NC State recorded its first hit of the game with a bloop single to right. The Wolfpack strung together three consecutive singles to cut the deficit to 8-2 heading to the final inning.
Perez led off the seventh with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Hailey Golden, who scored on a Wark RBI single to center. The Aggies reached double digits when Sauni doubled up the middle, scoring Wark.
Sidne Peters closed the game, striking out two batters in 1.1 innings of relief.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M wraps up the weekend Sunday against James Madison at 8 a.m. on SEC Network and Northwestern at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
NOTES
QUOTES
Head Coach Trisha Ford:
"I thought today was important for us to bounce back from yesterday's two tough games. I thought it took us a little bit to wake up, but then our bats got rolling and really put the pressure on the other team. In the circle we did what we needed to do. It was important for us to come back and pound the zone and then spread instead of working reverse. I thought Lessentine did a great job today and Peters came in to finish nicely."
Texas A&M (5-3) scored seven runs in the sixth inning, including a three-run home run by Micaela Wark, to power past NC State (3-5). Kennedy Powell led the offense with three hits and two runs, while Tallen Edwards, Maddie Sauni and Wark each collected multiple hits.
Sydney Lessentine earned her second win of the season, striking out seven batters without yielding a free base while allowing two runs. Lessentine carried a perfect game through 5.1 innings before the Wolfpack recorded their first hit. After a 10-pitch at-bat to begin the game, Lessentine threw 74 pitches to the remaining 20 batters she faced, averaging just four pitches per batter.
After three hitless innings from each starting pitcher, Powell led off the top of the fourth with a ground ball up the middle. The speedster stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Mya Perez reached on a fielder's choice, and Powell slid under the catcher's tag to score the game's first run.
Powell ignited the sixth inning rally with a bunt single, and NC State's pitcher sailed the throw past first as Powell reached third base. Ariel Kowalewski followed with a double to score Powell, Perez added a single and Wark blasted a three-run home run. The Aggies kept the rally going as KK Dement drew a walk and Frankie Vrazel's single to right scored Dement. Powell followed with a single through the right side to bring in Vrazel, rounding out the scoring and putting Texas A&M ahead 8-0 in the sixth.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, NC State recorded its first hit of the game with a bloop single to right. The Wolfpack strung together three consecutive singles to cut the deficit to 8-2 heading to the final inning.
Perez led off the seventh with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Hailey Golden, who scored on a Wark RBI single to center. The Aggies reached double digits when Sauni doubled up the middle, scoring Wark.
Sidne Peters closed the game, striking out two batters in 1.1 innings of relief.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M wraps up the weekend Sunday against James Madison at 8 a.m. on SEC Network and Northwestern at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.
NOTES
- Texas A&M batted .692 (9-for-13) with runners in scoring position, while the pitching staff registered a 71.0 strike percentage (71-of-100).
- The Aggies reached double digits for the first time this season after scoring 10 or more runs in 22 games in 2025. Ten runs are the most by a Texas A&M team at the Clearwater Invitational since the tournament began in 2019.
- Junior Mya Perez and Senior Kennedy Powell each collected a hit to extend their hitting streaks to eight games. Perez finished 1-for-3 with one run and one walk.
- Powell recorded a stolen base in the fourth inning to extend her consecutive stolen base streak to 29. She also reached base for the 11th straight game dating back to 2025.
- Graduate Micaela Wark hit her team-leading fifth home run, matched her career-high with four RBI and recorded her fourth multi-RBI game this season.
- Maddie Sauni registered her third straight multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with her first carer double and an RBI. The freshman is slashing .700/.700/1.100, going 7-for-10 with a double and home run, while adding four RBI and two runs at the Clearwater Invitational.
- Junior Hailey Golden stole her second base and scored her second run of the season in the seventh inning.
QUOTES
Head Coach Trisha Ford:
"I thought today was important for us to bounce back from yesterday's two tough games. I thought it took us a little bit to wake up, but then our bats got rolling and really put the pressure on the other team. In the circle we did what we needed to do. It was important for us to come back and pound the zone and then spread instead of working reverse. I thought Lessentine did a great job today and Peters came in to finish nicely."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Lessentine, Sydney (2-0)
L: Rylee Wyman (0-3)
Batting:
2B: Kowalewski, Ariel 1 ; Sauni, Maddie 1
HR: Wark, Micaela 1
RBI: Powell, Kennedy 1 ; Kowalewski, Ariel 1 ; Perez, Mya 1 ; Edwards, Tallen 1 ; Wark, Micaela 4 ; Sauni, Maddie 1 ; Vrazel, Frankie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Powell, Kennedy 2 ; Kowalewski, Ariel 1 ; Perez, Mya 1 ; Golden, Hailey 1 ; Edwards, Tallen 1 ; Wark, Micaela 2 ; Dement, KK 1 ; Vrazel, Frankie 1
SB: Powell, Kennedy 1 ; Golden, Hailey 1
Batting:
RBI: Carly Short 1 ; Kendall Simmers 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maia Townsend 1 ; Teagan Thrunk 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
dp/1b
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballC
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ SoftballHighlights: Texas A&M 10, NC State 2
Saturday, February 14
Clearwater Invite Preview: Trisha Ford, Mya Perez, Micaela Wark
Tuesday, February 10
Providence Postgame: Trisha Ford, Taylor Pannell, Ariel Kowalewski
Sunday, February 08
Highlights: Texas A&M 8, Providence 2
Sunday, February 08
