Austin - The
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team lost a pair of one-run
games against the #22 Texas Longhorns on Thursday afternoon,
falling by a 6-5 score in game one and dropping a 4-3 decision in
eight innings in the nightcap.
The Islanders
fall to 14-27 on the season while the Longhorns improve to 29-11 on
the year. Addie
Tallman started game one for Islanders, going the whole way in
the circle to take the loss and fall to 11-11 on the season. Margo
Hurdt started game two for the Islanders, going the farthest
she has all year as she threw every pitch for the Islanders while
falling to 0-2 with the loss.
"We're playing
good enough to be really good right now," said head coach Jake
Schumann. "We just don't have the killer instinct we need right
now.
"Physically we
have the ability; we just aren't there mentally where we need to be
to win most of these close games."
In the first
game, the Islanders quickly jumped out in front, scoring four runs
in the top of the first inning to take a quick 4-0 lead. Cassie
Redman led the inning off with a walk and was followed by Larissa
Martin grounding to third base, as the fielder threw to second
to try to get the lead runner, the ball sailed past the player and
went into centerfield, allowing Redman to reach third base while
Martin reached on the fielder's choice and advanced to second on
the error.
Stephanie
Estrada followed with a single through the left side to plate
Redman and put the Islanders on the board first at 1-0. Alaina
Byars came to plate and hit the first pitch she saw to right
centerfield to plate Martin and advanced Estrada to third, making
it 2-0 Islanders. Hurdt
came up and reached on a fielder's choice as Estrada scored and
Byars was thrown out at second base for the first out. After Kim
Connelly reached on a fielder's choice while Hurdt was put out
at second base, Andrea
Simancas came to plate and drove a 1-0 pitch to left field,
allowing Connelly to advance to third. Sandy
Schumann pushed across the final run of the inning when she
singled to the shortstop to bring in Connelly, making it 4-0.
The Longhorns
answered with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning to
make it 4-2. Desiree
Williams reached on a single to lead off the inning and Amy Hooks
reached after getting hit with a pitch to put runners on first and
second. Nadia Taylor
followed with a double to right centerfield allowing both runners
to score. The Longhorns
added another run in the bottom of the third inning on an
RBI-single by Courtney Craig to make it 4-3 Islanders.
The Islanders
added a single run in the top of the fifth inning when Estrada
lifted a 3-2 pitch over the fence in left field to put the
Islanders ahead by two runs at 5-3.
The Longhorns
answered back in the bottom half of the fifth inning with a pair of
runs to knot the score at 5-5. The game remained tied until the
bottom of the seventh inning, when Brittany Barnhill hit a 1-0
pitch over the left centerfield wall to give the Longhorns the
victory at 6-5.
Leading the
Islanders offensively in the first game were Martin, Estrada and
Simancas, with each collecting a pair of hits. Byars and Schumann added one hit
apiece for TAMUCC. Estrada
led the Islanders with two RBI in the game while Byars, Hurdt and
Schumann added one each.
Tallman went the distance for the Islanders, pitching into the
seventh inning, giving up six runs, five of them earned, on 14 hits
and one walk while striking out two Longhorn batters.
In game two,
the Islanders fell behind after the first inning, allowing a single
run in the bottom half to go down 1-0. TAMUCC would answer back in the top
half of the third inning with a single run to tie the game at
1-1. Simancas led off the
inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Schumann. Redman then
reached on a throwing error by the second baseman, allowing
Simancas to score all the way from second base before Redman was
thrown out trying to advance to second base to end the inning.
TAMUCC took its
first lead of the game in the top of the fifth inning at 2-1. Connelly led off the inning by
reaching on an error by the third baseman, followed by a Simancas
single through the left side to put runners on first and
second. Schumann put down a
sacrifice bunt to advance the runners to second and third.
Moore came to the plate and hit into a fielder's choice, reaching
base as the Longhorns were able to throw Connelly out at the plate
to keep the game tied while Simancas moved over to third. Redman came to the plate and hit
the ball to the third baseman, forcing her into a second error on
the inning that allowed Simancas to cross the plate to put the
Islanders up 2-1.
After Texas
answered with a run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score at
2-2, the Islanders came back with one of their own in the top half
of the seventh to reclaim the lead at 3-2. Simancas led off the inning with a
single to second base but was cut down at second when Schumann
followed by hitting into a fielder's choice. Redman advanced Schumann over to
second by singling to the shortstop. Martin followed with a single to left
field, bringing in Schumann from second base to break the tie.
The Longhorns
came back with a single run of their own in the bottom half of the
inning to knot the score at 3-3. The Islanders were unable to bring the
runner home from second base in the eighth inning, advance Estrada
to third after she was placed on second to begin the inning. In the bottom half of the eighth
inning, the Longhorns were able to bring in a run on a single to
centerfield with one out and a runner on third base to put the
final at 4-3.
"We come into
these games and we are play well," said head coach Jake
Schumann. "We know it will be a close game, when we have the
lead we just have to do whatever we can to get those final three
outs."
Offensively for
the Islanders, Simancas was the only player with more than one hit
as she went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Redman, Martin, Estrada and Byars
added one hit apiece as the Islanders collected six hits total in
the game. Martin had the
only RBI for TAMUCC in game two. Hurdt went the distance for the
Islanders, pitching 7.1 innings, giving up four runs, just two of
them earned, on 12 hits and five walks while striking out three
Longhorn batters.
The Islanders
now return home to face off against the McNeese State Cowgirls in a
Southland Conference series at Chapman Field on Saturday and
Sunday. First pitch for
game one on Saturday is set for 1:00 PM and first pitch for the
single game on Sunday is also set for 1:00 PM.
