ROBSTOWN –
For the second-straight day, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and
Lamar baseball teams went extra innings as it took 12 innings for a
winner to be decided on Sunday in Fairgrounds.
Unlike Saturday
when the Islanders received a walk-off home run from Stephen Flora
in the bottom of the 10th inning to win the game, it was Lamar that
pulled off the extra-inning heroics on Sunday as Steven Tucker
drove in Tyler Link with an RBI single to break a 5-5 tie. The
Cardinals added two more runs for the 8-5 victory and win the
three-game series.
"We had some
momentum coming off of Saturday's win," said Islander head coach
Scott Malone. "As the game went through the seventh, eighth, and
ninth innings, I think everyone thought we had a chance to win the
game. It was a great atmosphere. We just never got the hits
together to get that run. Lamar finally got the big hit to start
the 12th and that is the difference in the ball game."
All three games
of the series were decided in the final inning. Lamar broke a 3-3
tie with three runs in the top of the ninth on Friday before
Flora's game-winning home run on Saturday.
The Islanders
fall to 9-9 in the Southland Conference with the loss and are 14-25
overall. Lamar is 12-6 in the league and 23-16 overall.
Link led off
the final inning with a double off Bryant Sparkman and moved to
third on sacrifice bunt by Brian Taylor. Link crossed the plate on
the single off Jake Olier by Tucker for the No. 3 hitter's third
RBI of the game. After Chris Dunkin walked, Travis Dunson doubled
off Brett Gibson to plate Tucker. Dunkin scored another insurance
run on a single to right by Gumeson.
Matt Gore, who
allowed one hit in three innings of relief, ended the game by
retiring Stephen Flora, Trey Hernandez, and Chase Wheaton in order
to earn his first win of the season. Gore struck out two
batters.
Sparkman (1-1)
was credited with his first loss of the season despite turning in a
solid relief appearance. The junior righty went a career-best five
innings allowing the one run on two hits, while striking out
five.
"If you had
told me that Sparkman would pitch five innings as well as he did
today, I wouldn't have thought it," said Malone. "He pitched
tremendous."
Lamar scored
two runs off Roy Ferdin in the first on run-scoring singles by
Dunkin and Dunson. Ferdin allowed eight singles in 4-2/3 innings of
work and did not walk a batter.
"
Roy had a good approach today and threw strikes," said Malone. "He
gave up eight hits but he definitely wasn't tattooed. Lamar just
did a good job of placing the ball. Roy didn't walk anybody and
that is what we need from him and why he is a starter."
The Islanders
cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the first as Chase
Williams tripled off Justin Walker to lead things off. He scored as
Stephen Flora reached on an infield error.
Catcher Adrian
Salinas tied the game at two in the bottom of the second with a
home run to left off Walker. It was Salinas' first home run as an
Islander.
Walker pitched
nine innings allowing five runs on 13 hits. He didn't walk a batter
and struck out seven.
After Taylor
scored on a sacrifice fly by Dunson in the third, the Islanders
took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth with
three runs for a 5-3 advantage.
With one out,
Chase Wheaton, who finished with a team-best three hits, singled
and went to second on a hit by Bryan Gerondale. Wheaton scored on a
hit by Adrian Salinas. Brycen Bell continued the inning with a
single to load the bases for Ernie Olivarez. Olivarez hit a two-run
single off Walker.
Lamar tied the
game in the top of the seventh with a pair of runs. With one away,
Link walked off Brett Gips and Taylor singled. The left-handed
Tucker then tied the game with a two-run double to left-center
field off Mike Miller, who entered the game to put lefty on
lefty.
"Gips had been
pitching well and then walked Link and it forced our hand to make a
change," said Malone. "Miller had done a great job in recent games
of getting the left-handed hitters out. Today it just didn't work
out."
The Islanders
finished with 14 hits lead by Wheaton's four. The senior extended
his hitting streak to 14 games. Williams, Gerondale, Salinas, Bell
and Olivarez each posted two. Lamar had 15 hits as a team with
Taylor recording four. Tucker added three and three others had two.
Dunson and Tucker drove in three runs apiece.
