Texas takes thrilling 9-8 win over Texas A&M in nine innings

For the second straight year, the No. 16 seed Texas A&M Aggies performed better and showed more composure throughout most of Saturday's Austin Super Regional game against the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

And then, as quickly as the weather can change in the Lone Star State, the Longhorns suddenly came alive and rose to the occasion, erasing a four-run deficit in the sixth inning and edging it back by five, giving it up in the seventh inning and then winning the game in the ninth inning to send the Super Regional into a decisive third game on Sunday.

Texas A&M repeated Friday's success by hitting the highly touted Texas starter early with a big home run – on Saturday it was center fielder Jazmine Hill who hit a two-run blast into left center against Teagan Kavan and singled to take a 2-0 three-run lead.

Unlike Citlaly Gutuirrez, who started Friday and lasted just 1.1 innings, freshman Kavan fought through her initial jitters more effectively, going 4.1 innings. However, she allowed two more runs, one of them earned, when Aggies first baseman Trinity Cannon made second baseman Alyssa Washington pay for an error with her third home run of the Super Regional to give Texas A&M a 5-1 lead in the fifth inning.

With starter Emiley Kennedy having to play her second game in the oppressively hot and humid weather in Austin, Aggies head coach Trisha Ford decided to take Kennedy off the field in the fifth inning.

The decision paid off with three outs, but Texas A&M wasn't strong enough on defense to help Brooke Vestal out of the bullpen – after a walk and a single to start the inning, the Aggies' catcher was booed for interference at the plate due to a fielder's call, forcing Ford to send Kennedy back into the game.

Texas third baseman Mia Scott managed an RBI single, while right fielder Ashton Maloney picked up an extra base on a throwing error by the A&M center fielder. A two-run single by shortstop Viviana Martinez extended the momentum before a delay of more than 10 minutes was called to remove garbage behind the left outfield wall that was pushing the padding into the field of play.

Catcher Reese Atwood kept the momentum going even after the unusual delay by hitting an RBI single into left center field to tie the game.

Working many counts against Kennedy, who was surely exhausted due to the mental and physical strain of pitching in these difficult conditions and the high pressure that came with it, Texas managed a one-out single in the seventh inning and right fielder Bella Dayton hit a crucial two-run home run to right center that gave the Longhorns a three-run lead.

However, reliever Estelle Czech could not hold the bat, allowing a two-out single that was one strike away from ending the game. She then gave up a two-run home run to designated player Mya Perez on a two-strike pitch, the first career home run for Perez, who entered the series as a freshman with a .200 batting average.

The eighth inning was tied because Texas couldn't take advantage of having runners on first and second base with two outs, but the ninth inning decided the game. Center fielder Kayden Henry opened the inning with a bunt single, stole second base and then advanced to third when Dayton grounded out to first base. The decisive RBI came from Scott, who took the lead with a single through the left side.

In a half-inning that deserved the close game, Texas A&M started with a single against Texas reliever Mac Morgan before more drama occurred – Maloney dropped a routine popup nearly into shallow right field, dropped it and caught it nervously, and Atwood was warned for catcher's interference on a 2-2 pitch to Perez that put runners on first and second base. The defense was through for the final out, however, when Morgan provoked a grounder to second base and Washington threw it himself to end the game.

After Kennedy threw 118 pitches in seven innings on Friday and 7.2 innings on Saturday, the key question for Sunday's Super Regional final is whether Texas A&M's top player still has enough strength to pitch longer innings for the third game in a row.

The other question is when first pitch will be on Sunday, with game time and television coverage to be determined in the aftermath of Texas' hard-fought victory on Saturday.