HOUSTON – Nicole Russell threw a one-hit shutout over
Army, collecting eight strikeouts as the Islanders cruised to a
five inning, 8-0 win.
All but two
Islanders had at least one hit in the game as they pounded out nine
as a team, including a 3-for-3 performance by Amber Robinson that
included a three-run homer in the fourth.
Russell gave up
a two-out double in the first after striking out the first two
batters, but it would be all the offense the Black Knights would
produce off the freshman.
The Islanders
(3-4) got two quick runs in the top of the first off the bat of
Stephanie Estrada with a two-run homer, driving in Lauren Sanders
who drew a one-out walk.
Estrada had the walk-off homer against Army in a 9-6 eight-inning
game earlier.
Robinson
doubled in the top of the second, moving Kaylen Skinner to third
after she drew a leadoff walk. Skinner would later score on a passed
ball to give the Islanders a 3-0 advantage.
In the top of
the fourth the Islanders picked up three consecutive hits from
Robinson, Andrea Simancas and Sanders. Margo Hurdt followed with a two-out
double, driving in Robinson and Simancas to give A&M-Corpus
Christi a 5-0 lead.
The onslaught
would continue as the Islanders banged out three more hits in the
fifth, including Robinson's round tripper and eventually scored
three runs to take an 8-0 advantage.
Russell faced
just four batters in the bottom of the fifth for her second win of
the tournament.
In the second
game, a pair of Islander pitchers gave up seven runs and seven
earned runs as Houston took an 8-0 win.
Five of the
eight runs came in the third, thanks to a grand slam and the
Cougars would eventually score three more in the fifth for the
win.
"I am really
proud of the way the girls played this weekend," head coach Jake
Schumann said. "We played
some really good teams and we fought hard. We hit the ball well and if this is
any indication of how the rest of the season will be, I am pleased
with that."
