COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M-Corpus Christi could not slow the hot-hitting bats of Texas A&M, as the No. 2 Aggies cranked out 11 runs on nine hits in the opening three innings to cruise to a 24th straight midweek win, 13-3 in seven innings.
"Obviously Texas A&M is extremely talented," said head coach Scott Malone. "They play the game with ease and do all the little things right. They put a lot of pressure on you and pounce on your mistakes. We made a lot of mistakes tonight, especially on the mound. We didn't set a very good tone tonight and we opened up a door and boy did they rush through it."
Freshman Nick Anderson shined against the nationally-ranked Aggies (19-2), connecting on a breaking ball in the top of the second inning to send his first career home run flying over the left field wall at Olsen Field. Anderson added a double down the left field line in his next at-bat, coming around to score on a ground ball from Austin Krajnak.
"With Nick you still see the freshman one-step forward, one-step back," said Malone. "Tonight was a big step forward on a big stage against some talented arms. He had some really good swings, ran the bases hard and he continues to grow up right before all of us. If we're going to be a top four team in the Southland, he's going to have to be a big part of it."
Brian Deaver also turned in a solid night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. The right fielder drew a 1-out walk in the third inning and came around to score on Zack Gibson's RBI single two batters later.
Continuing their hot hitting from the past week, the Islanders (9-10) churned out seven hits at the plate. Five different Islanders delivered base knocks.
"I still thought we have good energy and had a lot of good at-bats," said Malone. "There's still some positives to take away. I'm not going to let a big loss tonight get in the way of what we're trying to do big picture."
The Islanders scored in three consecutive frames from the second through the fourth, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the high-scoring Aggies.
Two-hole Ryne Birk was a perfect 4-for-4, scoring three times to lead the Aggies at the plate. Birk also added an RBI while right fielder Nick Banks and infielder Austin Homan drove in a team best three runs for the No. 2 team in the country.
Dalton D'Spain (0-3) took the loss on the mound, going two innings while surrendering nine runs, seven of which were earned. Kyle Carroll took over in relief and tossed 2 1/3 innings allowing two runs on two hits.
QUICK HITS
• Chris Cooper worked an inning in relief, allowing two runs on one hit.
• Caleb Hanks pitched 2/3 of an inning, allowing just a single hit.
• Zack Gibson picked up his 11th RBI of the season and extended his reached base streak to 18 games.
• Scott Balfantz pinch-hit in the seventh and singled to right field.
UP NEXT
The Islanders travel to Southland Conference leader Southeastern Louisiana for a three-game series, which opens Thursday at 6 p.m. All three games will be audio streamed on the Islanders Digital Network.
