By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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AUSTIN -- Holly Ridley's collegiate career has been far from ideal, but with one swing of the bat she made sure Texas A&M pitcher Megan Gibson remained perfect and the Aggies remained atop the Big 12 Conference.

Ridley's two-run homer carried the fifth-ranked Aggies to a 3-1 victory over the Texas Longhorns on Wednesday night before 1,111 at McCombs Field.

Ridley lined a low change-up from Brittany Barnhill over the left-field fence in the fifth inning to plate Gibson, who had walked. The 220-foot shot quieted the Longhorns, who had been given a boost by Loryn Johnson's game-tying home run in the fourth. Johnson's 10th homer of the season broke up Gibson's perfect game.

It also gave Barnhill a fresh start. The freshman right-hander had allowed nine runners to reach in the first four innings, but she didn't allow a damaging hit. And the fifth had the same eerie feeling for the 200-plus A&M fans in the stadium.

Jamie Hinshaw popped up on a sacrafice bunt attempt, then Ridley fell behind in the count. But she fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before making solid contact.

"I kinda went down to get it," Ridley said. "I was seeing the ball really well this game. I knew I hit it solid, because when I hit it, I saw it hit the bat, and it felt great. I just said, 'I hope it goes,' and it did."

The junior's homer made sure A&M (37-6, 9-0 Big 12) stayed ahead of Oklahoma (33-9, 6-0) in the Big 12 standings. It also helped the Aggies avoid a repeat of last season's 5-0 loss in Austin when A&M was ranked second nationally.

"That was huge," A&M head coach Jo Evans said of Ridley's two-run homer. "If we don't score in that inning, then we start to press a little bit. [But] it shut them down and gave us the momentum back."

Evans said she's excited Ridley has found a home in right field, where she's started the last 15 games.

Ridley started 53 games at shortstop as a freshman but was beat out by Macie Morrow last season. Ridley batted only 51 times, hitting .157. She did some pinch-hitting and made 16 starts but also missed time with an appendectomy.

"Last year was tough for her, because she wants to be in the lineup," Evans said. "But Macie was doing just a great job at short.

"We found a place for Holly to play out in right. She's been really good out there. Her attitude has been tremendous."

Ridley opened the season as the starting right fielder as Evans experimented with different lineups to get more offensive production. Gibson even played a game in right field.

The position became even bigger when A&M lost All-American Amanda Scarborough to a season-ending injury. That's when Evans decided to go with Ridley full time.

"I feel Holly is the kind of hitter who has to get continuous at-bats," Evans said. "She has to get comfortable, and once she does, she can do what she's doing now."

Ridley, who moved up to fifth in the order Wednesday, is batting .286 over the last 15 games.

Gibson improved to 23-0 with another sparkling performance. She allowed only three hits and didn't walk a batter while striking out 12, which matched her career high for a seven-inning game.

Despite her dominance, scrappy Texas immediately put itself in position to tie the game after Ridley's homer. Desiree Williams reached on a bunt single, and Barnhill singled sharply off Gibson's glove. The runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt, but Gibson struck out the next two batters, mixing in a devastating change-up she used all game to keep Texas off-balance.

Barnhill (5-8) pitched a complete game despite a rocky first inning. She walked a batter and hit two, including Ridley with the bases loaded, which scored Natalie Villarreal, who had singled.

Unranked Texas (19-15-2, 5-4) lost for the third time in its last four home Big 12 games.

NOTES -- Former local all-state players Kacie Gaskin of A&M Consolidated and Crystal Saenz of Bryan were a combined 0 for 5 with four strikeouts against Gibson. Gaskin caught and Saenz played third. ... Ridley hit a solo home run to complete the scoring in a 4-2 victory at Texas two years ago. Ridley said Evans reminded her of that shot to dead center field as she rounded the bases.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.

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