By ROBERT CESSNA
Eagle Staff Writer

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The Texas A&M softball team got a crowd of 1,837 revved up for the Maroon & White Game with a two-touchdown victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday afternoon at the Aggie Softball Complex.

Fourth-ranked A&M bashed six extra-base hits and batted around twice in the 14-0 Big 12 victory called after five innings by the run-rule.

The 10-hit attack allowed the first-place Aggies (41-7, 13-1 Big 12) to maintain a 2 1/2-game lead on Oklahoma (36-11, 9-2).

A&M's hitting overshadowed a no-hitter by senior right-hander Megan Gibson, who struck out seven and walked one.

KU's best opportunity for a hit was Dougle McCaulley's grounder to the right of shortstop Macie Morrow to start the fourth inning. Slick-fielding Morrow easily made play, rifling a throw to nip the left-handed hitter.

Gibson (26-1) did the rest. She struck out four straight batters during one stretch and ended the game by retiring the last seven in a row.

"I was relaxed the whole game," said Gibson, who was treated for a stiff neck the last two days. "I was trying to keep their hitters off-balance."

Gibson was coming off a 6-5 loss at Oklahoma State, which snapped her 26-game winning streak. Her streak tied for 10th best in NCAA history.

"Everybody has an off day," Gibson said. "It happens to everybody. It's just another game in the past. I don't think about a win against Texas from two weeks ago, so I don't think about a loss from two days ago."

KU starter Val George (16-6) and two relievers will try to take Gibson's advice and put this game behind before Sunday's noon finale in the series.

It was the most runs allowed by KU (30-14, 4-7), which saw its earned run average jump more than a quarter of a run to 2.44.

A&M's bottom four hitters were 5 of 9 with six runs scored and seven RBIs. They helped the Aggies score their most runs this season.

"Most lineups are top to bottom," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "We're linear. I feel like we can hit throughout our lineup. And those people in the second half are hitting every bit as good or maybe better than people in the first half."

A&M's bottom four hitters -- Alex Reynolds, Erin Glasco, Kelsey Lobpries and Kelsey Spittler -- have combined for 41 runs batted in during the Big 12, which matches the top five hitters.

Spittler's two-out, two-run double in the second opened the scoring. Reynolds added a two-run double in the four-run fourth.

Lobpries, who had an eight-game hitting streak end even though she had only one official at-bat, had two bases loaded walks to give her a team-leading 13 RBIs in league play.

"It just shows to me that they are comfortable," Evans said. "They have a lot of confidence. The more they get hits and the more they step up in clutch situations, the better they feel."

Another pleasant surprise for A&M has been junior Holly Ridley, who has plugged a hole in right field and found a home batting No. 5.

Ridley, who hit .235 in nonconference, is hitting .375 in the Big 12. She had a two-run double in the fourth to give her a four-game hitting streak.

"She's been doing a fantastic job," Evans said.

NOTES -- A&M sophomore Bailey Schroeder had a pinch-hit single. Schroeder, who hadn't seen action since April 5, has been recovering from a pulled hamstring. ... Ridley was hit by a pitch for the sixth time in the last nine games. ... A&M will have its Senior Day on Sunday. ... A&M has outscored KU 34-0 in the last three meetings.

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

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