By Tom Waddill Huntsville Item Sports Editor

HUNTSVILLE - No. 21 Texas A&M edged Sam Houston 2-1 in the Bearkats' home softball opener Wednesday.

Sam Houston State let several opportunities slip away early, then with two outs in the bottom of the seventh the Kats got robbed on a liner that may have tied the game.

Like they did last year, the Aggies went home with a 2-1 victory over SHSU. This time, A&M did it without having to work overtime. The game last spring stretched 14 innings.

"We had our chances," Bearkats coach Bob Brock said after giving his team an upbeat postgame talk. "At the end of the game there, we had a shot to do something but they made a great catch."

With two outs and the potential tying run on first base in the bottom of the seventh, SHSU center fielder Tiffani Woodrum turned on a Rebecca Arbino pitch and sent it soaring down the left-field line. A&M junior Kelsey Spittler raced to her right, reached out and snagged the shot for the final out of the game.

 "We aren't catching any breaks," SHSU senior Morgan Mikulin said after pitching a five-hitter with six strikeouts. "That was just like our last game against Houston. The same thing happened to Amy Brown. Stuff just won't fall for us right now.

"If we keep working at this," Mikulin added, "swinging at good pitches, it will all start coming through. We'll be all right."

A&M (5-1) broke open a scoreless game with two runs in the top of the fifth. Center fielder Kelsea Orsak hit a solo homer off Mikulin (1-3), then Macie Morrow scored on a wild pitch.

After the Aggies scored twice, the Bearkats finally started collecting some hits off Arbino.

Brown led off the bottom of the sixth with a sharp single to center. Calli Wood bunted Brown to second, then with two outs, Erin Burford ripped an RBI single through the left side of the Aggies' infield to make it a one-run game.

"Really, we're kind of glad to score a run today," Brock said.

After opening the season with an 8-0 win over Kansas last weekend in a tournament in Houston, the Bearkats were shut out four straight times by Baylor, Ohio State, Kansas and Houston.

Early in Wednesday's game, it looked like the Kats may be blanked again. Arbino (2-1) worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the first inning, then she pitched out of more trouble in the third.

Against the heart of the Bearkat lineup, Arbino toughened. The sophomore from Clovis, Calif., got Brown to bounce into a force out at the plate, then she coaxed Calli Wood to ground out to first in the opening inning.

In the third, Arbino struck out Kim Damian with two runners on and one out. Brown grounded out to third to end that early threat.

"We changed our lineup a little bit and we started off pretty well," Brock said. "We just couldn't get that big hit. That would have meant a lot to get on the Aggies early." 

After Mikulin pitched out of a jam in the top of the seventh, SHSU leadoff hitter Shelbi Tucker singled to left to start the bottom half of the inning. Arbino retired Hailey Wiginton and Mikulin before Woodrum came to the plate. Woodrum laced a 2-2 pitch from Arbino down the left-field line.

Had the ball eluded Spittler's glove, it surely would have skipped to the corner of the fence. Tucker, a speedy freshman from Montgomery, was off on contact and she may have scored without a play.

That didn't happen, though, and the Bearkats were left to think about the missed opportunities early in the game and the late rally that came up just short.

"We're young at times, but we're excited about this season," Brock said. "I thought Morgan Mikulin pitched about as good as you can pitch today. One thing about it, maybe our luck will start changing when we start the conference season."

The Bearkats head to Denton this weekend to play in the North Texas Invitational. SHSU plays Colorado State and Arkansas on Friday at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. On Saturday, the Kats tangle with Drake at 10 a.m. and Missouri State at 3 p.m. Tournament play concludes Sunday at 4:30 p.m. against North Texas.

SHSU plays a home doubleheader against Texas Southern on Feb. 24 at 4 p.m., then the Bearkats start SLC play at Stephen F. Austin on March 2 at 1 p.m.