By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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Megan Gibson politely declined to address the crowd during Senior Day festivities for the Texas A&M softball team.

Gibson already had said enough during an 8-0 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex.

Gibson was 3-for-3 batting with four runs batted in. Her mammoth two-run homer started the scoring. And her line drive off the tip of the second baseman's glove ended the game in the sixth inning via the run rule.

Gibson also was the winning pitcher. The right-hander allowed three singles, struck out 10 and didn't walk a batter in needing only 72 pitches.

"She's a person of few words, but she makes a loud statement when she gets on the field," A&M head coach Jo Evans told those from a crowd of 1,056 who remained to honor A&M's five seniors.

Gibson (27-1) is powering the fourth-ranked Aggies (42-7, 14-1 Big 12) toward the league championship. A&M has a 2 1/2-game lead on second-place Oklahoma (37-11, 10-2).

The Aggies rebounded from a Wednesday night doubleheader split at Oklahoma State by dominating Kansas (30-15, 4-8). No one was more dominating than Gibson, who threw a five-inning no-hitter Saturday.

She was 5-for-5 batting in the series with six RBIs, giving her three straight multi-hit games. She hadn't had back-to-back multi-hit games since February. That's partly because teams typically pitch around Gibson, who has walked 42 times, including 15 in league play.

KU starter Val George (16-7) opted to challenge Gibson with one out in the first after Natalie Villarreal tripled.

Gibson seemed caught off-guard by a strike on a 1-0 pitch, but fouled off the next three pitches before crushing a ball over the left-field fence, clearing the high screen for her 12th homer of the season and 37th of her career.

Evans knew statistics probably showed it was a correct move to pitch to Gibson, but it still was surprising.

Gibson entered the series hitting just .316 in league play, which was only eighth best on the team. She had only five RBIs, which also ranked eighth. Those batting behind her -- Jamie Hinshaw (.366, 11 RBIs) and Holly Ridley (.353, 9 RBIs) -- are putting up all-conference numbers.

"But [Gibson is] such a dangerous hitter," Evans said. "And she's got so hot lately, but look at other teams, sometimes they've gone at her and got her out."

KU wasn't that fortunate.

George got ahead of Gibson 1-2 in the fourth, but Gibson fouled off four straight pitches before taking three straight balls to walk. Erin Glasco made Gibson's hard work pay off with a two-out, two-run single to make it 4-0.

Gibson frustrated George one more time with a two-strike RBI single in the fifth before picking on reliever Allie Clark to end the game and start the Senior Day festivities.

Gibson had plenty of help at the plate. Seven other Aggies got hits, including two by Hinshaw.

A&M had 11 hits, which was one more than it had in Saturday's 14-0 victory. A&M batted .420 for the series with eight extra-base hits. KU came in with the league's third-best team earned-run average at 2.17, but A&M ballooned it to 2.57.

"Kansas is not a bad ballclub," Evans said. "We hit their pitchers hard. That tells me our kids have a lot of confidence."

NOTES -- Evans wasn't surprised the Aggies bounced back in a big way from the OSU. "I thought that we played tight at Oklahoma State," she said. "I felt like it cost us a game. [But] I like the way we fought back. I thought the way we came out this weekend, and after that performance Wednesday, that was critical. We came out aggressive with a lot of confidence." ... The seniors honored along with Gibson were third baseman Hinshaw, center fielder, pitcher/first baseman Amanda Scarborough and student manager Jessica Kaiser. Evans gave each a framed picture. Scarborough, who is out after season-ending surgery on her right foot, is expected to be granted a medical redshirt, but the two-time All-American won't make a decision until next fall. Evans said Scarborough still must have surgery on her left foot. ... A&M has outscored KU 42-0 in the last four meetings. KU has gone 29 1/3 innings without scoring against A&M. ... A&M's seniors are 169-50 (.772) with a Big 12 championship, Women's College World Series appearance and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

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

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