Lake Charles, La. - The Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi softball team split a pair of games against McNeese State
here on Saturday afternoon, losing game one 5-4 and coming back for
an 11-2 victory in the second of the day.
In the first game, it was tied at 4-4 from the
third inning until the bottom of the seventh when the Cowgirls hit
a one-out walk-off home run to win a 5-4 game that saw the
Islanders allow four unearned runs. The Islanders atoned for the miscues
in the second game, scoring 11 runs on 14 hits to take an 11-2 win
to split the Saturday games.
"We're not quitters, we're always going to go
out and work hard," said Schumann. "If something bad happens like a
walk-off home run we're always going to keep battling."
The Islanders are now 28-18 overall and 10-13
on the season in the Southland Conference. McNeese State improved to 24-22 on
the year and 10-10 in the Southland. Elena Crabtree went the
distance and took the loss, going to 14-10 on the year in game
one. Addie
Tallman pitched a complete game in the second to improve to
10-6, allowing just six hits and two runs, only one of them earned,
while walking two and striking out one.
In the second game, the Islanders struck first
when Margo Hurdt doubled to center
field to score Caley
Jeter from first base and take a 1-0 lead. The Cowgirls responded with an
unearned run in the bottom half of the inning to knot it at
1-1.
In the top of the fifth, Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi exploded for five runs on just two hits and one Cowgirl
error. Cassie
Redman started the rally with a single and advanced to second
on Hannah
Schwarz's infield single. Jeter walked to load the bases ahead
of Hurdt, who took a pitch off the elbow to bring home Redman and
make it 2-1 Islanders. Brittany
Tucker then walked to force in another run and make it
3-1. Lauren Dodson reached
on an RBI fielder's choice to score Jeter while Hurdt was thrown
out at third. Kyrie
Panter pinch ran for Tucker and the runners advanced to second
and third on a passed ball. The final two runs came when Meagan
McKinney reached base on an error by the shortstop to make it
6-1 for the Islanders.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi added a single
run in the fourth when Alejia Cain led off the
inning with a double and came home to score on an Alaina Byars ground
out while she was pinch hitting.
McNeese State scored a single run in the fifth
to cut the deficit to 7-2 before the Islanders put the game away in
the top of the seventh.
Tucker led off the inning with a single to left field and McKinney
followed with a home run over the scoreboard to make it 9-2 in
favor of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Cain followed the homer with a single
and stole second base and moved to third on a Redman single. After Redman stole second,
Schwarz singled and advanced on an error to score both runners and
make it 11-2. Tallman got
the final three outs on four pitches in the bottom of the seventh
to secure the win for the Islanders.
Schwarz and Cain each had three hits for the
team while Hurdt and McKinney each had two RBI. Schwarz, Byars, Tucker and Dodson
each had one RBI. Redman
and McKinney also notched two hits for the Islanders.
"We did a good job adjusting to their last
three pitchers," said Schumann. "I'm happy about it.
"Tomorrow is the rubber match, we'll have to
come out and do it again."
In game one, the Islanders took a 2-0 lead in
the first when Redman reached base and moved to second on a Schwarz
sacrifice bunt. Hurdt hit a
two-run home run that hit the top of the scoreboard in left field
to put the Islanders on the board.
The Cowgirls scored an unearned run in the
bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. Dodson put the Islanders up by two
once again when she led off the second inning with a solo home run
to center field to make it 3-1 in favor of Texas A&M-Corpus
Christi.
McNeese State took the lead in the bottom of
the second with three unearned runs following an error on a popup
that allowed Whitney Corbello to reach base. They eventually took a 4-3 lead
before the Islanders got out of the inning.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi tied it up in the
top of the third when Redman started the inning with a single and
stole second base. She
advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Schwarz and scored on an
RBI single to center field by Jeter to make it 4-4.
The score would remain the same until the
bottom of the seventh when the Cowgirls shortstop Molly Guidry hit
a pitch over the scoreboard to give McNeese State the 5-4 win.
The final game of the series will be played at
Cowgirl Diamond with a 12 PM start. Fans can follow the action through
live stats and audio on www.GoIslanders.com.
