In a home field rematch against the No. 11 Texas A&M University (33-9, 12-6), North Texas softball (25-18, 12-6) fell 11-1 while attempting to avenge their 12-0 run-rule loss on Davis Diamond field on March 8.
Texas A&M added to a 23-1 run differential in the two matchups to win the season series.
“Texas A&M is really good. That’s why they’re the second best in the [South East Conference],” Mean Green Head Coach Rodney DeLong said.
However, despite the 11-1 loss and consideration of Texas A&M’s talent, DeLong says one call stood out to him as an impactful, game-changing decision.
It was during the top of the second inning with the Mean Green down 2-0.
Junior right-handed pitcher Skylar Savage prepared to throw in the circle after sophomore right-handed pitcher Mackenzie Childers (L, 9-6) was pulled halfway into the first inning. Childers allowed two runs, four walks, two wild pitches and zero strikeouts.
Texas A&M had two outs with junior infielder Kramer Eschete standing at the plate. Savage tossed a pitch before immediately ducking as Texas A&M’s third baseman, Kennedy Powell, took off for second base.
North Texas senior catcher Kalei Christensen whipped the ball from behind the plate to senior infielder Morgan Medford, who leaned forward on one knee to catch the ball and tag Powell, who was stealing second base. The Mean Green defense cheered before stopping as the nearest umpire began signaling an interference call on Medford.
The inning ended with Texas A&M scoring six additional runs on four hits to take an 8-0 lead. It began with an RBI single up the middle from sophomore infielder Kylei Griffin and ended with a two-run home run from junior outfielder Allie Enright.
DeLong believes the whole game would have changed if his team had been able to escape the inning down 2-0 instead of 8-0.
“In my opinion, that’s a bad call that changes the outcome of the game,” DeLong said. “Instead of going in [the third inning] 0-2, we gave up six runs. That’s disappointing because that’s really an unnecessary call. Not a single person in the stadium would’ve challenged the fact that she was in the baseline.”
While it was a challengeable call, DeLong chose not to.
He believed the umpire’s decision to rule the obstruction on his vision of Medford’s left foot in the baseline wouldn’t be winnable regardless.
“You can challenge it, but he’s got her set up with the foot inside. So by rule, you can’t win,” DeLong said. “They called obstruction even though we threw her out by 10 feet.”
From there, the Mean Green would never bounce back.
Offensively, North Texas could not recreate their production a day prior in two-season high 15 and 10-run wins in a doubleheader at Texas A&M University-Commerce (7-41, 0-18).
Instead, junior right-handed pitcher Emily Leavitt (W, 9-1) held the Mean Green scoreless in four innings and ended her day with four strikeouts while allowing two hits.
In the top of the fourth inning, Savage was pulled for redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Kayleigh Smith after Texas A&M scored three runs on four hits.
Smith finished her two innings, allowing zero runs on two hits. North Texas closed the game, scoring the lone run in the fifth inning on two singles and a fielding error, making the final score 11-1.
Returning to conference play, the Mean Green will take on the University of Memphis (5-34, 1-17) this weekend, determined to move on from Wednesday night’s loss altogether.
“Short-term memory,” senior infielder Mikayla Smith said. “Just [have to] let it go and focus on the weekend. We have a big series ahead of us, and if we keep hanging on to this game, it’s going to interfere with that.”