Hammond, La. - The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team
was down to the final two outs of the season when Brittany Tucker hit a
three-run home run over the right field wall to tie the game at 7-7
in the top of the seventh inning. The Islanders would eventually
go on to win the game in the ninth when Tucker hit a solo home run,
her 11th of the season, to give A&M-Corpus Christi an 8-7
victory over Southeastern Louisiana and send her team to the
Southland Conference Tournament for the first time in school
history. The 11th home run of the season also set a new
single-season record for the Islanders with the previous record
being 10, set by Jennifer Golden in 2005.
"Our no quit attitude kept us in the ballgame all day," said
head coach Jake Schumann. "We were down
5 runs with three innings to play and our big players came up big
today.
"It was the most exciting game I have been a part of as a coach
or a player."
The Islanders finish the regular season with a 35-20 record,
tied for the third-most wins in school history, and won a school
record for conference games after going 16-14 this year. The Lady
Lions finish the year with a record of 11-37 overall, 3-25 in
league games. Elena Crabtree picked up her
third consecutive victory in relief, going 6.2 innings while giving
up four hits and two runs, both of them earned, to improve to 17-11
this season.
The Islanders struck early, putting up two runs in the top of
the first to gain the lead. Cassie Redman led off the
game with a double to center field while Hannah Schwarz reached on
a walk. Caley
Jeter laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Redman and Schwarz
into scoring position while a Margo Hurdt single scored
Redman and put runners on the corners. Tucker doubled to center
field to bring Schwarz home and make it 2-0 for the Islanders.
In the bottom of the third, the Lady Lions responded with eight
straight hits to score seven runs and take a commanding 7-2 lead
after three innings.
The Islanders chipped away with two runs in the top of the fifth
inning as a two-run home run by Hurdt cut the lead to 7-4 after
five.
Down to the final two outs of the game, that is when Tucker made
her mark on the game, drilling a 1-0 pitch over the wall for her
10th homer of the season and scoring Schwarz and Jeter in the
process to knot it all up at 7-7 and send it to extra innings.
Tucker played the hero yet again in the top of the ninth, taking
the first pitch she saw over the left field wall to make it 8-7 in
favor of the Islanders. Crabtree got the Lady Lions to go down in
order in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the win and tournament
spot for the Islanders.
"That's probably the definition of earning you way into the
tournament," said Schumann. "It's an exciting time, this week we
are going to make a trip to the Southland Conference and try to go
win it."
Tucker was 4-for-5 with five RBI in the game while Hurdt was
2-for-4 with three RBI. Both players ended the regular season with
38 RBI, tying the school record set by Kim Connelly in 2008.
Schwarz went a perfect 4-for-4 to claim the Southland Conference
batting title with a .416 average and shatters the previous school
record of .365 by Katie Evans in 2002. McKinney also picked up a
pair of hits while also drawing two walks. Redman, Sandy
Schumann and Lauren
Dodson each had one hit apiece for the Islanders.
Due to Nicholls losing to Sam Houston State and McNeese State
beating Central Arkansas, A&M-Corpus Christi will be the No. 5
seed in the tournament. They will play No. 4 seed McNeese State in
the first round of the tournament this coming Thursday.
The Islanders beat the Cowgirls 4-of-5 times this season, twice
in the Hawaii Paradise Classic and won 2-of-3 in the Southland
series in Lake Charles, La. on April 17-18.
