HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M – Corpus Christi baseball team had an early lead, but a big inning by the No. 27 Sam Houston State Bearkats was too much to overcome on Sunday afternoon as they fell by a 6-3 final in game three of the Southland Conference series.
The Islanders are now 18-26 on the season, and 10-14 in Southland Conference games. The Bearkats moved to 31-12 overall, and remain in first place with a 19-5 Southland record. Daniel Minor was tagged with just his second loss of the season, moving to 7-2 after pitching 6.1 innings and giving up five runs, all of them earned, with two walks and five strikeouts.
Brad Porras hit his second home run of both the weekend and the season on Sunday, crushing a ball over the left field fence for a two-run shot to give his team an early 3-0 lead. The inning starter with a Santiago Ruiz single to right center, and was followed by an Eric Weiss single up the middle. Drew Vest sacrificed the two runners over to second and third for Jonathan Gonzales, who delivered an RBI fielder's choice in which Weiss was thrown out at third while Ruiz scored to make it 1-0.
Porras followed with his homer on a 3-2 pitch that was hit into the softball field over the left field wall, with the left fielder never even moving once it came off the bat, to score Gonzales and himself to make it a 3-0 game.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Bearkats struck back with five runs on five hits and two walks to take a 5-3 lead over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi.
The Islanders threatened in the sixth inning, getting a pair of runners to second and third, but were unable to get them home in what was the best opportunity in the final five innings to knot the score.
Sam Houston added a run in the bottom of the eighth to finish the scoring at 6-3.
Gonzales and Weston Montgomery each had two hits on the day, while Porras led the way with two RBI and Gonzales had the other.
Next up for the Islanders will be a midweek contest against Texas – Pan American on Tuesday, May 1. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start out at Chapman Field.
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