HAMMOND, La. – In both games of Saturday's doubleheader, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team struck first with runs in the first inning, but Southeastern Louisiana used home field advantage to complete the comebacks and defeat the Blue and Green, 5-1 and 4-3.
The Islanders (5-18, 0-3) outhit the Lady Lions (12-15, 3-3) in both games and recorded 15 hits across the two games.
Candice Hadd,
Megan Mitchell,
Alexis Richardson,
Kandace Johnson and
Lacey Boyd notched multi-hit games on Saturday.
GAME 1
Boyd opened the proceedings with a triple to left, the first of the year for the Blue and Green. Back-to-back walks quickly followed, as the Islanders had the bases loaded with no outs. Boyd scored and the runners advanced on passed ball to put Corpus Christi in front 1-0.
The Lady Lions evened the score in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Maddie Ort. The hosts added the go-ahead run an inning later. The Islanders committed the first of five errors on the day as Kinsey Nichols scored on a two-base fielding error.
Following a double in the top of the second,
Alexis Richardson made it to third on a single by
Lexi Shaw. Richardson was narrowly beat by the throw home on a fielder's choice off Boyd's bat.
Southeastern Louisiana broke the game open with a trio of runs on three hits and two errors in the sixth. The Lady Lions benefitted from an Islanders' throwing error, before striking with back-to-back RBI doubles to extend the lead to 5-1.
Kandace Johnson (1-8) took the loss after scattering five hits and giving up five runs, four earned, with one strikeout. Lacey Hill (5-5) earned the win for Southeastern La. by allowing five hits, one unearned run and three free passes, while striking out four.
KEY INNINGS
TOP 1
>> Boyd belted an 0-1 pitch to the left field wall to reach third.
>> She scored on a passed ball during Mariah Clay's at-bat.
BOTTOM 1
>> Ort brought in Edmonston, who reached third after stealing a pair of bases.
BOTTOM 2
>> Carlie Whittington attempted to lay down a sacrifice bunt, only for the Islanders to commit a fielding error, allowing Kinsey Nichols to score from second.
BOTTOM 6
>> After Edmonston scored from third on a throwing error on Jaquelyn Ramon's steal attempt, Ort and Alli Daigle connected on back-to-back doubles to tack on a pair of runs.
GAME 2
Just like game one, the Blue and Green took an early lead, this time off the bat of
Liz Carter. The senior singled through the right side to plate Boyd for her sixth RBI of the year.
Southeastern Louisiana fired back in the second with two of their own. Daigle scored from second on an RBI single by Ali McCoy, who reached third on a throwing error by the Blue and Green. She scored on an Whittington's single during the next at-bat.
Corpus Christi regained the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs on a three hits. After an infield single by Johnson, Richardson put runners on second and third following her single to left. With two on a two out, Shaw laced a single through the left side for two RBI.
The lead was short lived, as Kalyn Watts homered to left with one on in the bottom of the fourth to give the Lady Lions a 4-3 lead.
The Islanders nearly tied the game in the seventh, but left the run sixty feet from home. Boyd opened the frame with a single, before Mitchell reached first on a walk. Auger moved the runners to third with a sacrifice bunt, but the Blue and Green could not bring the runs in over the final two outs.
Carter (4-10) dropped the decision, allowing three earned runs, five hits and one walk, while striking out four. Tanner Wright (2-1) picked up the win for the Lady Lions in 3 1/3 innings of shutout work with three hits. SLU starter Caitly VanHemelryck went 3 2/3 innings and surrendered all three runs, two earned.
KEY INNINGS
TOP 1
>> The Islanders loaded the bases for Carter with one out. The Austin native lined a ball through the right side to put the Blue and Green on top.
BOTTOM 2
>> After Daigle walked and advanced on a wild pitch, the Lady Lions drove in two runs on back-to-back RBI singles.
TOP 4
>> Johnson singled to the shortstop with one out, before Richardson singled to left field. Both runners advanced on the throw.
>> Shaw hammered an 0-1 pitch to right field to a two-RBI single.
BOTTOM 4
>> Whittington made it to first on a fielder's choice with one out.
>> Watts took a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left to put the hosts back in the lead.
ON DECK
The Islanders return to Chapman Field for their Southland Conference home opener next weekend against Northwestern State.
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- Go Islanders -
