2016 Season Comes to a Close as Islanders Split with UIW

SAN ANTONIO – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team concluded its 2016 campaign on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader split versus the University of the Incarnate Word on the road in San Antonio.

An opening game, 3-1, victory ensured the Blue and Green of its first conference series victory of the season. UIW recovered to avoid a sweep in the series finale, defeating A&M-Corpus Christi 6-2.

RELATED: Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

GAME 1, WIN, 3-1

A&M-Corpus Christi (18-30, 7-19) secured the series win behind the dominant pitching of senior Stephanie Flores. The righty hurled her seventh complete game of the year for her second win. Flores fanned five batters and scattered six hits with one earned run against and four walks. 

The Islanders tied an opponent in hits for the third time this season, as the two teams matched each other with six. Jessica Mendez and Mackinzee Griebel powered the Blue and Green with a pair of base knocks. Candice Hadd and Megan Mitchell found open spots for their 30th and 16th hits of the season, respectively.

Adriana Farris provided the catalyst for the lone runs in the game in the third inning. Following singles by Hadd and Griebel, Farris forced UIW shortstop Victoria Bratcher into an error, which allowed both runners to score.

Mitchell added an insurance run in the sixth on a double to center to plate Mendez and extend the lead to 3-1.

Flores' counterpart Jessica Rodriguez had a respectable performance in the circle for the Cardinals (18-24, 7-20), allowing one earned run and scattering seven hits with four punchouts in seven innings of work.

GAME 2, LOSS, 6-2

The final game of the season opened with an Islanders run in the first inning. A Mendez single with two on turned into a run for the Blue and Green when Cardinals second baseman Natali Duron produced an errant throw in an attempt to take out lead runner Dani Tefft. Tefft tore down the third base line to put A&M-Corpus Christi up 1-0.

UIW evened up the score in the third on a single by Lindsey Hood, but that was all the damage the Cardinals could muster in an inning with three hits. The hosts took a 3-1 lead with a pair of runs in the fourth before the Islanders struck back. 

The two rookie mainstays in the Islanders lineup this season in Mitchell and Hadd teamed up to bring the visitors within one of the lead in the sixth. Three runs in the bottom half of the inning gave UIW enough ground to take the victory.

Tefft notched her eighth multi-hit game of the season, as the Islanders tallied seven hits in the final game of the year and take her average to a team-leading .309. 

Colleen Bentke fell to 5-10 in her freshman campaign. The southpaw registered a trio of strikeouts in five innings, but allowed nine hits and six earned runs. Islanders ace Liz Carter brought the season to a close with her 154th punchout of the season in the sixth inning after coming on in relief.

Sarah Leal took the win after giving up seven hits and one earned run while striking out four.

COMING TO A CLOSE

The Islanders finished a year that saw several impressive individual accomplishments. Liz Carter became the first pitcher since Sarah Pauly to reach 150 punchouts in a season. She now sits second on the career list in strikeouts, wins and complete games.

Freshman Candice Hadd capped her first year on the Island with the third most RBI for a rookie in program history with 19. Seniors Cosette Hernandez and Dani Tefft finish first and sixth on the all-time fewest strikeouts list with 20 and 40, respectively.