By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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Jami Lobpries is getting healthy, which is helping the Texas A&M softball team feel better about its chances of winning the Big 12 Conference.

Lobpries doubled in the only run in the Aggies' 1-0 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners on Sunday at the Aggie Softball Complex in front of 1,244 spectators.

Lobpries' sixth-inning hit moved the fifth-ranked Aggies closer to their second Big 12 championship. A&M (39-6, 11-0 Big 12) has a 2 1/2-game lead on ninth-ranked OU (35-11, 8-2) with seven games left in the regular season.

"I'm so proud of our kids," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "I'm really excited for our ballclub -- our staff and our players, and anybody who loves the Texas Aggies, because this has been a long time coming."

A&M won the 2005 title, but came up short the last two seasons after being the preseason pick each time.

This time, the Aggies have more than lived up to expectations, even though they lost All-American Amanda Scarborough to a season-ending injury before league play started.

Fellow All-American Megan Gibson has picked up the slack by winning nine league games. Sunday, she outdueled fellow senior right-hander Lauren Eckermann of OU.

Gibson (25-0) pitched a two-hitter, striking out seven in getting her 11th shutout. She retired 15 straight at one point, giving the Aggies their first regular season sweep of OU since 2004 after she won on Saturday as well.

Gibson, who pitched a complete game in a 3-1 victory at Texas on Wednesday night, threw 309 pitches in five days.

"Megan is so tough," Evans said. "I debated whether to throw Rhi [Rhiannon Kiesing] or Megan, and of course Megan should be on the mound in this game. I'm really excited for her."

Eckermann (10-4), who was an all-state player at Brenham High School, matched Gibson by pitching out of several jams. A&M's leadoff batter reached in the first four innings, but bunting woes stifled the Aggies. When they were able to put the ball in play, OU third baseman Jessica Legendre aggressively threw out runners at second twice.

Legendre's assertive play momentarily backfired in the sixth. Holly Ridley singled and Legendre unsuccessfully tried to retire her at second on Alex Reynolds' bunt. Legendre rebounded to force Ridley at third on Erin Glasco's bunt.

"Their third baseman was fantastic," Evans said. "I think she kept them in the game, early on."

A&M didn't help itself, starting 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position. Lobpries was responsible for two of those failures.

"I thought I felt comfortable," Lobpries said. "She made some good pitches."

Eckermann jumped ahead of her 1-2 in the sixth, but Lobpries laced an outside pitch into right-center field, easily scoring pinch-runner Mandy Gegen.

"I just stayed confident and trusted in myself and my approach," Lobpries said. "I went up for the third at-bat not thinking about the two strikeouts. I was thinking about driving something in the gap, getting a run home."

Lobpries, a senior, has been clutch since dropping from second to eighth in the lineup. She has a six-game hitting streak -- 9 for 18 with nine RBIs, including a two-run double in Saturday's victory.

"I'd say it initially took some pressure off," Lobpries said. "But still, it was more of me just getting comfortable."

That hasn't been easy for the senior center fielder, who has battled through back problems that caused her to miss 10 games last season and the first five this season.

"I'm working hard in rehab and I feel good enough," Lobpries said.

Her swing looks great thanks to extra help from A&M hitting coach Mary Jo Firnbach and Scarborough. They've helped Lobpries regain the form that made her a .300 hitter as a freshman.

Oklahoma almost took Lobpries' thunder away in the top of the sixth, having two runners reach for the only time in the game.

Haley Anderson singled to break up Gibson's no-hit bid and Amber Flores fouled off three two-strike pitches to earn the lone walk off Gibson.

Susan Ogden hit a two-out fly ball to left field that stayed in the park because of a stiff north breeze. Left fielder Kelsey Spittler turned completely around following the ball's flight, slipping down on the dirt of the warning track. The left-hander still managed to reach up on her knees and make the catch, earning a standing ovation from the Parents Weekend crowd.

"Spittler makes the catch that could have cost us the game," Evans said. "It doesn't always have to be pretty, it just needs to be an out."

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NOTES -- The wind blowing in both days helped stifle OU's offense, which came into the series against A&M with 131 extra-base hits. OU had six singles in the two games, but Ogden would have had two home runs Sunday if there wasn't any wind. "Thankfully for us, the wind was blowing in," Evans said. ... Houston Texans defensive end Mario Williams watched the game. ... A&M's only Big 12 title was in 2005, when the current seniors were freshmen. ... The only Big 12 team to go unbeaten in regular season play was Nebraska, which was 16-0 in 1998. ... A&M's baseball team also leads the Big 12. The same school has won both diamond titles in the Big 12 three times. Nebraska did it in 2001 and Texas did it in 2002 and 2006.

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

Texas A&M senior right-hander Megan Gibson won her 26th straight game Sunday, which moved her into a tie for the 10th-best all-time winning streak by a pitcher in NCAA Division I history.

60 -- Jennie Finch, Arizona (2000-02)

50 -- Rebecca Aase, Florida State (1991-93)

42 -- Lisa Fernandez, UCLA (1992-93)

33 -- Kathy Van Wyk, Cal State Fullerton (1982)

30 -- Sara Griffin, Michigan (1998)

30 -- Connie Clark, Cal State Fullerton (1986-87)

29 -- Fernandez (1992)

28 -- Sky Brown, South Carolina (1996-98)

26 -- Megan Gibson, A&M (2007-08)

26 -- Danielle Henderson, UMass (1999)

26 -- Courtney Dale, UCLA (1999)

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