Offense Erupts, As Softball Splits on Saturday

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – An offensive explosion in the top half of second inning, which produced seven runs and two home runs, lifted the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team to an 11-1 victory after five innings against North Dakota on Saturday morning at the UTSA Classic. In the afternoon, Tulsa outlasted the Islanders, despite a two run home run by Aspen Auger, to win 5-3.

The Austin native finished the day going 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBI and a pair of homeruns. After not hitting a homer in the opening seven games of the season, the Islanders (6-3) erupted for four on the day, including the first of Candice Hadd's career.

RELATED: Box Score Game 1 | Box Score Game 2

"I was pleased with today," head coach Stephanie Hughes said after the second game today. "Obviously, I would like to have come away with two wins, but our hitters made big strides today with 21 total hits in two games.  It's a process and we got better today."

GAME 1 vs. North Dakota, W, 11-1

Focused on not stranding runners in scoring position for the second consecutive game, the Islanders bats came out swinging. Aspen Auger brought home Dani Tefft and Hadd with a double to left in the top of the first for the earliest lead in a game this season.

The damage was far from over for North Dakota, as the Islanders would pour on seven more runs in the second.

Cosette Hernandez started the festivities with an RBI single down the left field line. Teft and Liz Carter added pair of RBI before Aspen Auger came to the plate. The junior took a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for the first home run of the season for the Blue and Green.

Fellow junior Jessica Mendez got in on the action on the very next at-bat with a solo shot to left center to give the Islanders an insurmountable lead.

Hernandez notched her second RBI of the day in the third, before Hadd went yard for the first time in her career the following inning to extend the lead to 10-0.

With a massive lead and enough run support, freshman pitcher Colleen Bentke could have coasted in the second start of her career – could have, that is. Instead, the southpaw turned in an impressive display over five innings of work.

Through the first seven batters that came to the plate for North Dakota, Bentke sent all of them back to the dugout after facing a combined 16 pitches. The College Station native picked up her third win of the season after scattering five hits and striking out one, while giving up an earned run and a walk.

"Colleen went out and dominated by keeping the ball down and keeping them off balance," Hughes added."

Things were a little dicey for the rookie in the bottom of the fifth. North Dakota loaded the bases with two away, but the Fighting Hawks could only scratch one consolation run across before Bentke closed out the game.

Hadd improved her team-high RBI total to five, following a 3-for-3 outing at the plate against the Fighting Hawks.

The Islanders were on the winning side of a run-ruled game for the first time since March 5, 2011. Three home runs for the Blue and Green were the most in a single game since the Islanders sent four over the wall against Houston last season on March 25.

GAME 2 vs. TULSA, L, 5-3

After a nearly perfect start against North Dakota, the Islanders fell behind early in the first inning against the Golden Hurricanes. Aspen Auger erased the one-run deficit in the top of the second with a two-run opposite-field homer to right.

The lead was short-lived for the Blue and Green, as RBI singles from Morgan Neal and Maggie Withee vaulted Tulsa into a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second.

A&M-Corpus Christi was able to cut the lead to one in the fourth when Brianne Trost singled to bring home Mendez, but that would be the last offensive push for the Blue and Green for the remainder of the game.

In the circle for the Islanders, Liz Carter went the distance for the fourth time this season. Taking her first loss of the year, the Austin native allowed seven hits and gave up three earned runs to take her ERA up to 2.06. The righty finished the game with six strikeouts.

Trost notched her first multi-hit game of the year with a 2-for-3 performance at the dish. Ellie Reaves earned the win for the Golden Hurricanes, while Caitlin Sill come on in the fifth to pick up the nine-out save.

NOTABLES STATS

• Tefft picked up her third stolen base on the year, which brings her just seven shy of third place for career steals.

• With hits in both games, Carter and Tefft extended their hitting streaks to a team-high three and four games, respectively.

• Auger had the most productive day of her career in the doubleheader. After notching a career high four RBI in the morning game and two more in the afternoon contest, the Austin native is now hitting .273 on the year.

"Aspen has been on the verge of breaking out and I was extremely proud of how well she did today," said Hughes.

ON DECK

The Islanders will wrap up their time at the UTSA Class bright and early tomorrow morning for a rematch with the Fighting Hawks at 9 a.m. A&M-Corpus Christi will play five games in the Texas A&M Invitational next weekend.  

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